He Who Protects
by Glon Morski
Summary: "You won't lose me, Rukia," was all he replied and he meant it. Even if she couldn't know it was him, he would never leave her side. He will always be there, protecting her. Even if it meant hurting himself in the process. IchiRuki. Complete.
1. Careful what you wish for

**Well, what do you know, here I am starting yet another story, this time for Bleach. And being the IchiRuki fan I am, of course it is IchiRuki XD I wouldn't know what other pairing to make, I absolutely love this one and no other.**

**Ekhem, just so you know, this isn't going to be a lame one- or two-shot, it's going to be longer than that. And even though it certainly doesn't look like it now, it's definitely going to have a happy ending. I'll do my best to make that happen XD**

**Anyway, this is my first story ever for Bleach, so the characters may be OOC. If that's the case, please tell me. This isn't an AU fic, so I think it's my duty to make the characters as IC as possible.**

**Also, something you should know from the start: this is a Canon fic, and it follows the original storyline. It happens after the Winter War though. I try to keep the 'historical references' Canon too, but some part are going to be invented. A lot of them actually. **_**I follow the original plot up to chapter 386, with a slight change of Ukitake not being dead, since even if his chest was pierced through, I doubt he would have died this easily. Whatever happens after that is neglected in this story!**_

**Now enjoy, I hope, and please leave a review, ok?**

**Warnings: Character death at least for now…**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its amazing characters. If I did, why would I write FANfiction for? It wouldn't make sense. So no, not mine.**_

**A thousand thanks to **_**romancejunky**_** for editing. You're the best XD**

* * *

_**He Who Protects**_

_Chapter 1 – Careful what you wish for_

Ichigo ran as fast as his feet could carry him through the crowded district of Rukongai. He didn't stop even for a little while as he passed the familiar face of Ganju (who yelled at him to watch the Hell where he was going but he ignored it), his face showing a big, bright smile for the first time in a very long time.

How long has it been since he was this happy? How long since his lips cracked _that_ smile? That goofy grin of his, reserved for only one person to see. Not even Rukia had seen this smile. It was meant for one person, and one person only.

And it was the woman standing in the middle of the street not too far away from him. It was her he was running towards, her he wanted to see so badly.

And finally, he was able to do so.

Finally, the war against Aizen has ended, giving him and his friend's time to relax before returning home. Not that they were kept in Sereitei by force, they could leave whenever they wanted. But Ichigo wanted to stay a little while longer, just so he could at least meet her once more, before saying good bye.

That and he wanted to be close to Rukia as long as he could. Unfortunately, it was out of the question during the day, as she was basically held captive either by her brother or Captain Unohana, the head of squad four and top-doctor, claiming she needed her rest to recover. That only left him an hour or two to spend with her in the evening. But he wasn't complaining as he found quickly something else to do during the long days while Ishida, Inoue and Chad were off-limits as well, recovering slowly, but surely.

Everyone was left scarred after the war in one way or another and, right after his battle against Aizen, Ichigo was no exception to that. However, not even five minutes after the battle against the master-mind of this whole mess has ended Ichigo's hollow-power of High-Speed Regeneration took care of him, which in turn allowed him to leave the squad four's 'prison' rather rapidly.

After shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ichigo called out to the person he was running towards. The woman turned to him, her orange hair flying gracefully behind her, following her every move. She was beautiful as always and she had that same smile Ichigo remembered her wearing every time she was with him.

"Ichigo" she said happily as he stopped in front of her, supporting himself on his knees a bit tired from the long run. He quickly regained his composure though and smiled at the woman in front of him. It was their first meeting, but somehow, it felt like they've been meeting every day for the past six years. Like they were never parted.

"I'm proud of you, Ichigo" the woman said to him as she pulled him into a tight embrace. He hugged her back as a few tears escaped his eyes. Finally he was able to meet her. Finally, he could apologize and thank her, like he wanted to for six years.

XxX

Rukia walked slowly the same streets Ichigo ran through a little while ago. Finally, Byakuya left her on her own so that she could 'regain her strength' and she even managed to slip unnoticed by Captain Unohana as she left the fourth squad's barracks.

If someone asked her why she tried to sneak out, the answer was simple: she wanted to meet Ichigo. And since she heard that he went to Rukongai (for what reason she had no clue), she decided to look there for him first.

When she saw him however, every last bit of her happiness to meet him drifted away, like it was never there, being replaced by simple fury, as well as hurt and sadness. There he was, in the middle of the street, hugging a woman Rukia had never seen before. And he looked so happy.

Rukia just stood there staring as the 'couple' slowly turned around and started walking in her direction. Soon enough, they were in hearing distance, as everything else around Rukia seemed to get extremely silent.

"I knew you would win" the woman said to the young, orange haired Shinigami. "I never doubted you, Ichigo."

The substitute Shinigami replied with a nervous laugh. Rukia turned around as a few tears escaped her eyes before running off. She would never forgive him for this treason. Never.

She didn't know the word 'treason' was the last one she should have thought of.

XxX

Ichigo ran his hand through his orange hair as he laughed nervously at his mother's comment.

"How come you knew I would win when I didn't even believe it myself once it was over, mum?" he asked her, turning his head in her direction.

"I just knew that's all. I know you're strong, Ichigo, that's why I never doubted you."

Ichigo laughed again. He didn't remember the last time he felt this genuinely happy. Finally, he was able to make up to his mother, after six long years of pain.

They spend the entire day together before Ichigo waved his mother goodbye and returned to Sereitei. He was anxious to see Rukia and tell her whom he met today, plus he was also worried about her. She never took this long to recover.

Stopping in front of her door he knocked. When he received no reply, he tried again, this time earning himself a 'Come in'. But the tone of Rukia's voice told him right away that something was wrong, erasing any memory of his previous happiness and replacing it with worry.

Slowly, he opened the door and entered the room.

"Rukia?" he asked cautiously. The girl was lying on her bed. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying and she had a pained expression on her face. Ichigo's worry increased. Something was definitely going on.

"Rukia…" 'what's wrong?' he wanted to ask as he closed the door behind him, but she interrupted him.

"What do you want?" she asked him, her voice cold. Ichigo was taken aback. Why was she being like this? Had he done something to upset her?

"What do you mean, what do I want? I came to see you" he replied a little surprised. Why was she so mad?

"Oh really?" now there was sarcasm in her voice. Ichigo was completely lost. What had he done to make her so mad at him? "I thought you'd be too busy with your new girlfriend."

Ichigo's eyes widened. New girlfriend? What… Where did that idea come into Rukia's mind from?

"What are you talking about, Rukia?" he asked her. He didn't understand. And he certainly didn't like where this was all going.

"Don't play dumb with me! I've seen the two of you in Rukongai! Don't you dare think you can deceive me any longer, Kurosaki!" Rukia yelled at him, tears now falling down her cheeks. Ichigo mentally slapped his forehead in realization. Rukia must have seen him with his mother… but she got the completely wrong idea!

"Wait Rukia, let me explain. It isn't like that. It was my mo…"

"Silence! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to even see you again in my life! GET OUT!" she yelled turning her back to him.

"Rukia…" he said in a broken voice. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when they could finally be together. He didn't want to lose her. Not because of a misunderstanding like this.

"I said GET OUT!" she interrupted him again. Ichigo just looked at her with a hurt look in his eyes. He wanted to explain. He wanted her to understand. But how was he going to do it if she wasn't going to listen?

"Rukia, please, listen to me" he tried again in a pleading tone. But it was in vain.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING! HOW CAN YOU EVEN _DARE_ SHOW YOUR FACE HERE AFTER WHAT YOU DID? DO YOU HAVE NO PRIDE AT ALL? OR DO YOU THINK I'M THAT STUPID?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, this time turning her head to him for better effect.

He didn't respond. He just stood there, looking at her with eyes full of disbelief and pain. Why couldn't she just let him explain? It wasn't like that at all. It was a big misunderstanding. He didn't want to lose her this way. Heck, he didn't want to lose her at all!

"Rukia…" he tried again in a weak voice, feeling that he wouldn't be able to take much more. She was hurting him more than anyone else ever has. She was literally killing him with words.

He didn't get a chance to explain himself as she interrupted him yet again, still yelling as loud as she possibly could, as if she couldn't get her point across otherwise.

"ARE YOU DEAF OR SOMETHING, YOU MORON? I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING, DIDN'T I? WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE TO SAY ANYWAY? I'VE SEEN ENOUGH AS IT IS! NOW DO ME A FAVOR AND JUST GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! BETTER EVEN, DISAPPEAR FROM MY LIFE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN! NOW GO, AND DON'T EVEN BOTHER COMING BACK! WE'RE FINISHED!"

His eyes widened as he heard Rukia's words. He couldn't believe it. She… she couldn't be serious could she? No, she couldn't be! He had to make her see the mistake! He had to!

He opened his mouth to try one last time, but she didn't even give him time to say one word. She wasn't yelling anymore, but her voice was as cold as ice, if not even colder.

"You really are missing a brain, aren't you? How many times do I have to say it for you to finally comprehend, Kurosaki? Or maybe I need to spell it out for you? I'm not going to do this, so you better open your ears for this is the last time I say it before making your body do the understanding. Now: get. Out. Of. My. Field of Vision. And. Do. Not. Ever. Return. I've seen enough of you for a life-time, if not much more."

The orange haired substitute Shinigami felt his heart shatter. He couldn't take it. It was way too painful for him to take. He doubted _anyone_ would be able to take all that and still have his soul or heart in one piece.

Letting his eyes fall to the ground and clenching his fists to stop his eyes from watering, Ichigo turned to the door and opened it. It was no use trying to talk to her. She wasn't going to listen to him.

So after giving her one last hurt look over his shoulder, he left. He would explain everything to her, he definitely would. But she had to calm down first.

He was surprised not to see anyone outside her room. The way Rukia was yelling just now, he expected the whole fourth squad to be there, waiting for an explanation. He wouldn't be surprised if even Byakuya had shown up to kill him for hurting his sister.

But it was better that no one was there. It gave him the possibility to calm down himself. He didn't feel like having any company right now anyway. Still, he didn't allow himself to cry. He had to stay strong. So he only rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono and leaned on the wall next to her door, a defeated look on his face.

Unfortunately, the blessing of silent solitude wasn't granted him for as long as he would have liked.

"I thought I might find you here, Kurosaki-kun" a calm voice was heard in the hallway.

"Captain Ukitake" Ichigo said, turning his head to the white haired man, perfectly hiding the depressed look he had just a second ago. He didn't need anyone to see that something was bothering him. It was between Rukia and him and he had to settle it himself.

The captain of squad thirteen smiled at him.

"I was looking for you" he said. Ichigo raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ukitake sighed. "I know you've done quite a lot for us already, but since you're one of very few who are still able to fight, the Captain-Commander wanted me to ask you if we could ask you for one last favor."

Ichigo turned away. He didn't know exactly why, but he hesitated. The orange haired teen had a feeling that if he left for a fight now, whoever it was that Yamamoto still wanted to ask him to fight, he would not see Rukia again. And he couldn't leave without explaining everything to her first.

Then again, if he were to leave, Ichigo had every intention of coming back as soon as he could. He sighed as his gaze wandered to Rukia's door before he closed his eyes and turned to Ukitake. When he opened his amber orbs again, the only things you could read in them were readiness and determination.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" was all he asked.

XxX

Rukia was lying on her bed, thinking about her previous… 'conversation'… with Ichigo. She just couldn't forget the look in his eyes as he left the room. He didn't look shocked that she had found out. He looked… hurt. As if he was in pain because of her words.

Rukia shook her head. Why would Ichigo be hurt? He was the first one to hurt her! That damned bastard met another woman and then dared to come to _her_ like nothing has happened! She would never forgive him for that.

Still, something inside her told Rukia that she was wrong… and that she was going to regret this. But she shook those feelings off. What could possibly happen?

XxX

Ichigo, Renji and Yumichika exited the Captain-Commanders office. Renji sighed.

"This is going to be such a pain in the ass" he said, looking up into the sky.

"I guess, but on the other hand, it should be taken care of" Ichigo replied, looking at the briefing they all got. It didn't look all that hard. All they had to do was to find and capture (and if impossible then kill) the last survivor of the Winter War that sided with Aizen, Gin Ichimaru.

Ichigo remembered that the fox face lost his smile when Aizen fell and abandoned the battlefield, and fled to who-knows-where. But their biggest chance of finding him was definitely Hueco Mundo. Las Noches to be specific.

"Never thought I'd be returning there" Renji said with a sour look on his face.

"Me neither" was Ichigo's reply.

"Well, this _is_ quite a pain, so let's go and get this over with" Yumichika said. The two other Shinigami nodded and the three of them set off.

"That… could get problematic" Renji noted about two hours later. They managed to get to Hueco Mundo and even get to Las Noches without much trouble. Then, they just followed Gin Ichimaru's spiritual pressure, which was easily detected, being the only strong one in the whole building.

But they didn't expect to meet an army of Hollows waiting for them just behind the entry to the Dome. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly at the sight of them, wondering why neither Renji nor Yumichika noticed this horde before. It was only a few seconds later that he noticed that Ichimaru's spiritual pressure was hiding the Hollow's reiatsu. It was undeniable that the ex-captain was more powerful now than he was during the fight in Fake Karakura.

"Leave this small fry to me and go on ahead" Yumichika said quietly, raising his sword. Renji nodded.

"Alright. Let's go, Ichigo."

"Right."

About ten minutes later, they were forced to split up yet again, this time Renji being the one left behind as Ichigo ran towards their main target. No matter what, they had to beat him, so that history wouldn't repeat itself. So that no other war could break out.

XxX

Rukia couldn't get the image of Ichigo's hurt expression out of her head for the past day and she was unable to tell why. She shook her head, trying to forget that damn, orange haired kid. She hated him. She absolutely hated him.

But she couldn't help but glance at the door from time to time, hoping to see it open and a main of orange hair peeking inside.

But it didn't happen.

And that made her worried, even though she didn't know why.

XxX

Ichigo cursed under his breath as he dodged another cero that was fired at him. This certainly didn't look good.

The substitute Shinigami was certain that Ichimaru was not too far off, but he couldn't just go to him with this many Hollows surrounding him. Even if he managed to leave them behind, it would be a bad idea to let himself be sandwiched between about a thousand Hollows and Gin Ichimaru.

So he had to take these Hollows out first. Only that it looked like there was no end to them.

It really didn't look good.

Suddenly, a gigantic snake that looked like it was made out of a bamboo tree rushed by him, getting rid of a few Hollows.

"Ichigo!" he heard two voices from above.

"Renji! Yumichika!" he yelled back as his two friend landed beside him, Renji's Bankai surrounding them immediately like a shield.

"You OK?" Renji asked without looking at him. Ichigo nodded, not turning his head away from the Hollows.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he said, gripping Zangetsu's hilt tighter.

"Good, because I wasn't planning on nursing you the second I caught up" the redhead laughed as he launched in for an attack. Ichigo and Yumichika didn't waste time to engage battle.

"Right back at you" Ichigo smirked to Renji before getting back to the fight. He raised his sword above his head, his eyes glowing bright blue. It was time to get serious.

"Getsuga…" he said as blue sparks appeared around the blade. The Hollows seemed to take his lack of movement as a sign to attack and they launched themselves at him without hesitation. The orange haired boy smirked as he swung his blade down, releasing a high-dense energy beam.

"… TENSHŌ!"

And with than one swing, the way to Ichimaru Gin was open… for about two second before more Hollows closed it up again. Ichigo cursed but didn't attack again. Instead he turned around and raised his blade in front of him, effectively blocking a blow of a suspiciously long Zanpakutō directed right at his chest. The substitute Shinigami smirked.

"So you finally showed up..." he said quietly, trying to calm his breath. The long-time battle started to get to him. "Ichimaru Gin."

XxX

Rukia stepped out of her room and looked around, hoping to see familiar orange hair. She didn't know why, but she felt worried. As if something was wrong. And she didn't like this feeling.

But no matter where she looked, Ichigo was nowhere in sight. '_Maybe he returned to the World of the Living with his friends?_' she thought to herself. The sound of familiar voices however proved her wrong. Ishida, Chad and Inoue were still in Soul Society. So where was Ichigo?

Deciding to ask his three other friends where he might be, she went in the direction of their voices. Sure enough, there they were, sitting at the entry to the garden. The orange haired girl sitting the closest turned her head.

"Oh, Kuchiki-san" she said in a surprised tone. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you" she said as she joined them. "What about you three?"

"We're alright" Ishida answered for the three of them. "Otherwise, we would still be imprisoned in our respective rooms."

Rukia chuckled at the comment. But she couldn't deny the fact that Uryū was right. But that wasn't what was on her mind.

"Hey, has any of you… seen Ichigo?" she asked a bit hesitantly. They way she yelled at him three days ago, she doubted that no one heard her.

"I haven't seen him since the battle against Aizen. I regained consciousness only recently" Uryū said, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

"I haven't seen him either. At least not for the last three days" Orihime added, putting a finger to her chin.

"Neither have I" was Chad's silent reply. Rukia lowered her head.

"Damn. Where could he be?" she couldn't help but feel worried. She felt like something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Maybe he went to Rukongai to meet his mother again. And she just didn't want to let him leave" Chad offered. Rukia snapped her head up.

"To meet his… mother?" she asked with disbelief in her eyes. Orihime nodded.

"Yeah. Kurosaki-kun told me he found her five days ago and that he was going to meet her. He… looked so happy" Orihime said, a content smile on her face. Rukia looked down at her knees and clenched her fists.

So the woman she had seen him with… was his mother?

Suddenly his hurt look came into Rukia's mind again. Of course, it all made sense. Why he came to see her, even after meeting 'the woman'. Why he looked so broken when she told him she didn't want to see him again. Why he looked so hurt.

The black haired girl bit her lip to prevent her tears from falling. She was such an idiot! If only she had let him explain, she could have avoided hurting him. She was just so stupid!

'_As soon as he comes back_' she thought to herself '_I'm going to apologize to him._'

XxX

The three Shinigami stood side by side, eyeing their opponent. They had finally gotten rid of all the Hollows. Now the only thing left was to beat Gin.

"This… could get… tough" Yumichika said between his panting, trying to keep standing.

"Shut up… we didn't come here… just to let a guy like him… beat us" Renji countered, although he himself had problems standing, due to his fatigue and multiple wounds.

Ichigo didn't say anything as he calmed his breath and ignored the pain from his side, where the deep wound was. He didn't seem to be able to regenerate anymore, but that wouldn't stop him. He had to beat this guy. He had to return to Soul Society and explain everything to Rukia. And he would take Yumichika and Renji back with him. He just couldn't die here.

"You really think you can beat me? In your condition! Please, don't make me laugh" Ichimaru said, his fox smile still in place. "You're done for."

"Look who is talking" a voice said behind him. The ex-captain turned around just in time to block Ichigo's attack. Gin's eyes widened a little. He didn't even see the kid move.

"I see you haven't lost any of your speed" Gin smiled as he jumped back. "But speed alone won't help you here."

Ichigo wasn't going to waste his time while the guy was talking. Bringing his blade in front of him, he spoke one single word.

"Bankai."

The familiar wind of spiritual pressure engulfed him for a few seconds before he sliced through it with his now much smaller blade.

"Tensa Zangetsu" he said, looking up at Gin. Now the real fight was starting.

XxX

"Is something wrong, Kuchiki-san?" the orange haired girl asked her, noticing her teary eyes.

"It's nothing, Inoue. I'm fine" Rukia lied easily. What was this feeling in her soul? Why was she so uneasy all of a sudden? What was going on?

The petite girl looked up at the sky, trying to find an answer and failing miserably. But she found one part of it, without knowing it.

'_Ichigo_…'

XxX

"Yumichika! Oi, Yumichika! Wake up, damn it!" Renji yelled, shaking Yumichika's seemingly lifeless body. But he was breathing and he had a pulse, so he was definitely not dead. If only he woke up!

A sudden explosion not too far away caused the redhead to look up. He didn't have to look long to understand that someone just crashed into the ground. And the landing wasn't exactly one of the softest ones.

"ICHIGO!" Renji yelled, hoping for a reply, but received none, as if the orange haired boy hadn't heard him. But he was getting back up, so he couldn't be hurt that badly.

Renji looked with disbelief at what he saw however. Ichigo was, literally, a mess of flesh and blood. How he was still able to stand was beyond Renji. But he understood quickly as Gin lowered himself to the ground in front of the orange haired boy, not looking unscratched himself.

So most of the blood on Ichigo's body probably wasn't his own. At least that's what Renji hoped.

"You're quite the persistent one" Gin said, his fox-like smile whipped off his face. Ichigo smirked.

"Right back at you" he said as he took a stance again, then launched forward, resuming the battle. Renji cursed under his breath, looking back at the beaten-up Ayasegawa. Things didn't look great from the beginning but when Ichimaru activated his Bankai, it just seemed hopeless. He had beaten squad eleven's fifth seat officer in one blow and the squad six's lieutenant doubted he could fight much longer either.

"This is where it all ends for you" a voice said suddenly behind the redhead. Damn he let his guard down!

"RENJI!" He heard Ichigo yell as blood splashed all over his face.

XxX

"I think I'll go back to my room" Rukia said as she stood up. She didn't go three feet away however as suddenly her knees gave way under her. Her violet eyes went wide open as her hands traveled to her throat. She couldn't breathe! She was suffocating!

"Kuchiki-san" Inoue screamed as she caught the falling girl. Rukia started coughing almost immediately afterwards and quickly resumed to panting to regain her breath, her eyes still wide.

"Kuchiki-san, are you alright?" she could hear concern in Inoue's voice. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm fine now" she said, turning her head to look at the garden. Her eyes narrowed. '_That feeling just now… What was that?_'

XxX

Renji just stared at the orange haired Shinigami in front of him. He had blocked the blow… or at least he had tried to… in order to protect Renji and Yumichika from certain death.

"Ichigo…" Renji said in disbelief. What did that idiot just do?

"Shut up… Renji" came the reply. The lieutenant's eyes widened. He was still alive? Ichimaru laughed.

"My my, you certainly are a funny one. To throw yourself in front of my blade, to throw your life away, all in a futile attempt to save your friends. I'm touched, you know. Too bad it won't serve anything."

Ichigo chuckled in response, earning himself a surprised glare from his opponent. Slowly, his free hand reached to the blade impaled in his body and gripped it strongly, preventing it from being taken out.

"And you really fell… for a trick as cheap as that" he said between his panting as his grip on Zangetsu's hilt tightened. Slowly, he raised his sword. "And you never thought… That it was this I wanted all along" he now raised his head, his eyes full of determination. He would not lose to this guy. Never in a hundred years!

"Getsuga…" he said as energy started to gather around the black sword. Gin's eyes widened in clear fear as he tried to back away, but Ichigo prevented him from doing it by grabbing his hand. He had a smirk on his face that clearly said 'it's over'.

"…TENSHŌ" he yelled and swung his blade down, firing his strongest attack right in the face of his opponent. He got the result he wanted as the energy-beam took his opponent away and slammed him into a wall, where he fell to the ground to never get up again. Ichigo just stood there, panting before his knees gave way and his eyes lost sight of everything, except for total blackness. Only one thought made its way to his mind before it shut down.

'_Rukia…_'

XxX

Rukia sat on her bed, clutching the sheets tightly. She didn't know why, but she had the feeling that something extremely horrifying has happened. And she couldn't help but worry. Especially since she didn't know what was going on.

And the little… incident… she had an hour ago wasn't helping. What was this feeling anyway?

She raised her hands to her racing heart. She just couldn't calm down. It was strange, but she just couldn't stop it. She was at the edge of her nerves and she wasn't even able to tell why. It was infuriating her.

Sighing, she got out of her bed and decided to take a walk. She didn't go far however as she was stopped by her friends just outside the door.

"Have you heard, Kuchiki-san? They said Kurosaki-kun's back" Inoue said enthusiastically as the girl took her hands. Rukia smiled at her with relief. Finally, he was back.

"But where was he up until now?" she asked confused. Uryū adjusted his glasses.

"I heard Captain Ukitake sent him with Renji and Yumichika on one last clean-up mission to find Gin Ichimaru, but I'm not quite sure if that's the case" he said calmly.

"I was talking with Renji a while ago and it seems to be the truth" Chad said in his deep voice. "However, when I asked where Ichigo was, he didn't respond."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. Renji didn't respond? Why would he keep quiet?

Sudden fear settled in Rukia's heart, but she dismissed it quickly. Ichigo was strong, he could take care of himself.

As the group walked off in the direction they hoped to find Ichigo, they soon met up with Renji. Rukia smiled at him.

"Hi, Renji" she said to him with a smile. "Glad to see you're back safely."

"Yeah, thanks" he said, averting his eyes. She raised an eyebrow. Why didn't he want to look her in the eye?

"How are Ayasegawa and Ichigo?" she asked instead. Renji shrugged.

"Yumichika is being treated right now. And Ichigo…" he stopped, as if unable to speak up and still refusing to meet her eyes. She started to feel uneasy. What could possibly make Renji act this way?

"Renji? What is it? What happened?" she asked as panic started to take over her, but she tried her best to keep calm. Renji took a deep breath before answering, still looking at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the whole world.

"Ichigo's… dead."

* * *

**Sometimes I'm asking myself how cruel I can get. Not only did Ichigo die, the last words he heard from his loved one were 'I don't want to see you ever again'. Jeez, talk about cruel… I'm kinda ashamed of myself. But… it WAS necessary.**

**So… uhm… reviews anyone? Pretty please?**


	2. He's not gone

**That sure was a rather quick update here XD Oh well, I won't be complaining.**

**Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and alerts. I really hope I won't disappoint you with this chapter. I hope it will be to your liking.**

**Also, I edited the argument between Rukia and Ichigo in the previous chapter, so go and re-read that part if you want. You don't have to though, as most of the things she said will be said in this chapter again.**

**And someone asked me why Rukia didn't recognize Ichigo's mum, despite poster she has definitely seen at Ichigo's place. Let me explain: it is up to you actually, really. It could be that she saw her from behind (I didn't specify after all). It could be that she never paid attention to the poster, even if it was big. She spent most of her time in Ichigo's room/closet anyway. Or she could have just been so upset that the thought never crossed her mind. Don't forget that even after dying, once you go to Soul Society, the possibility of finding your relatives from your life-time on Earth is small.**

**That being explained, I end my blabbering and let you enjoy the second chapter. I need to go to sleep anyway, it's late and I have two class tests tomorrow. Geez, I hate school.**

_**Disclaimer: We all know that I do not own this.**_

**A thousand special thanks to **_**romancejunky**_** for edits XD**

* * *

_Chapter 2 – He's not gone_

Rukia stared with wide eyes at her red haired friend. He couldn't really mean it, could he? No, it couldn't be! Ichigo… he couldn't just die!

But despite these thoughts, she felt it. His reiatsu was nowhere to be felt. It just wasn't anywhere. He didn't return with Renji and Yumichika. And the only thing that could stop him from coming back without being dragged back by Renji (even against his will) was death.

She felt her knees giving way under her as her eyes started to fill up with tears.

"H-How?" was all she managed to say as Orihime lay her hands on her shoulders to support her and suppressing her own tears. Renji finally looked up to meet Rukia's eyes. His own orbs were full of sorrow and guilt.

"It was my fault" he finally said, looking back down. "I let my guard down and he protected me" he explained, feeling the aura of disbelief.

"He protected you?" Ishida asked calmly. Only his really close friends would be able to tell that despite acting really calmly, he was quite upset.

Renji sighed as he told them what had happened. How Ichigo protected him and Ayasegawa from certain death and how he finally defeated Ichimaru before collapsing.

"I see" Uryū simply commented once he had said everything. But Renji had one more thing to say.

"Rukia" she looked up at him. He didn't dare to look up to meet her eyes again, but finally forced himself to do so. "I guess you should know this, so I'll tell you. Before he died, Ichigo said one last thing."

Rukia could feel her heart race. His last words…

"What did he say?" she asked with a shaking voice. Renji looked at her and smiled sadly.

"Your name" he said simply. The petite Shinigami's violet orbs widened. Did Renji just say what she thought he said? "He died with your name on his lips. Until the end, you were the only thing occupying his head" the redhead confirmed her thoughts.

Suddenly something hit her. It was a not-too-long-ago memory.

"_I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!"_ her own words echoed in her head. The last words he ever heard her say.

"_Now do me a favor and just get out of my sight! Better even, disappear from my life! I don't want to see you ever again! Now go and don't even bother coming back!"_ She could feel her own words stabbing her in the heart. She got what she wished for. He disappeared from her life and most certainly wouldn't return. Only that wasn't what she wanted anymore. She wanted him to come back to her. But he couldn't anymore. And it was simply put all her fault.

"_Or maybe I need to spell it out for you? I'm not going to do this, so you better open your ears for this is the last time I say it before making your body do the understanding. Now: get. Out. Of. My. Field of Vision. And. Do. Not. Ever. Return. I've seen enough of you for a life-time, if not much more."_

Even after all these painful things she said to him… he still died with her name being the last thing his lips ever said. Rukia couldn't believe that. Did that mean he forgave her? No, he couldn't have. What she said was unforgivable. She shouldn't have said any of this.

Not able to hold her tears any longer, she fell to her knees and started crying and shaking uncontrollably, repeating one thing over and over between her sobs.

"No… Ichigo… NO!"

"Kuchiki-san" Orihime said in a soothing voice, trying to calm the so much older girl down, despite her own cheeks being wet from tears as well. She didn't achieve her goal.

"ICHIGOOOOO!" a scream of agony coming from Rukia's throat was heard throughout the fourth division barracks.

* * *

It took her a long while to finally calm down enough to stop crying. By the time she managed to hold back the tears that kept coming, her eyes were all red and puffy. She never cried this much before. Never.

"I see you have finally calmed down, Rukia" a calm voice was heard at the entrance of her room. Chad brought her here when she broke down, as no one else, not even Renji managed to approach her enough to pick her up. Once in his arms, she remembered the urge to cry into his shirt, but a peculiar thought stopped her from doing it: he wasn't Ichigo.

"How are you feeling?" the calm voice clang again in the room and she found herself looking into the kind face of her captain. The raven-haired girl let her eyes drop to the sheets.

"I'm fine, thank you" she lied smoothly. No, she wasn't fine at all. Her heart and soul were shattered and destroyed by the feeling of immense guilt, as if Rukia had been the one to kill her loved one. Well, indirectly, she was. But she didn't need to bother her captain with her problems.

Ukitake didn't seem to really believe her as she judged from his sigh of defeat. The white-haired man then entered the room and set down next to her bed.

"I'm sorry, Rukia" he finally said. His subordinate looked at him with bewildered, red eyes. "What had happened to him… I'm the one to blame for it" the older man explained. Rukia shook her head in denial.

"It was not your fault, captain. No one is to blame for his death" '_except for me_' she added in her thoughts. It was Ukitake's turn to shake his head.

"No, Rukia. I am to blame. After all, I'm the one who asked him to go" he finally said. Rukia didn't react. It didn't matter who asked him to do it, he would have probably ended up being dragged into it anyway. And she said just that. She kept to herself the thought of her being to blame.

"Now please, captain… I'd like to be alone for a while" she said. She didn't want anyone to see her in this state. She didn't want anyone to pity and comfort her. She deserved what she got.

Ukitake nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as it fell into the lock, new tears started pouring from Rukia's already red eyes.

* * *

"Are you alright, Inoue-san?"

"I-Ishida-kun…" the orange haired girl looked up, whipping her tears away with her sleeve. Uryū was beside her, not looking at her. Inoue looked back at the garden. "Yes, I'm alright. Just a little sad" she replied.

She guessed he was just fine. After all, he and Ichigo never were this close. He probably thought that 'it was the idiots own fault he got killed'.

A loud noise caused her to look at him again. He had a perplexed look on his face as he punched the pillar next to him with surprising passion.

"Ishida-kun?" she asked with confusion clear in her voice. Uryū talked more to himself than to her as he replied.

"That stupid moron. Now that all is finally over, he has to go and die on us. What a stupid idiot!" he said as he punched the pillar again. He was mad. Or better said, he was sad and tried to cover it up with anger. But Orihime saw right through it.

Hesitantly, she let her hand rest over his. He looked up to her and met her sad smile.

"Grieving won't help, right? I'm sure he wouldn't want us to act this way. He… He would have wanted us to stay strong" she said, fighting back the urge to cry. She had feelings for Ichigo. Feelings she never got to really tell him about. It was painful to know she would never see him again. But it certainly wasn't as painful for her as it was for Rukia.

"We need to stay strong" she said lowering her gray eyes to the floor while Ishida looked at her with disbelief. "For ourselves. For Kuchiki-san. And for him."

He still saw the tears that she allowed to fall down her cheeks and squeezed her hand in an attempt to calm her.

* * *

Chad was lying on the roof of the fourth division headquarters. He came up here after bringing the crying Rukia to her room. He wondered briefly is she has calmed down yet. Sighing, the strong build man looked up at the star-filled sky.

He still couldn't believe what Renji had told them. He refused to believe that his best, short-tempered friend was gone. Ichigo was just way too damn strong to just off and die like that. And he was way too stubborn too.

"I know you're out there, somewhere, Ichigo" he said to no one in particular. "Just know that we'll keep waiting for you to come back." Even if he'd be the only one believing in it, he would keep believing and waiting. He knew better than to underestimate Ichigo.

"_How can you still be standing with all those injuries? You should be dead by now_"

"_If you think these little cuts will take me down… then you're dead wrong. No matter how many times you cut me, I'll keep getting back up until you're the one lying at my feet_."

"_Why do you keep fighting? Don't you see it's futile? What would you obtain by killing me, anyway? The apprehension of Soul Society? A certain girl's heart?_"

"_Shut up._"

"_You must know there's no benefit for you if you killed me. So what's the point in keeping resisting? Why can't you just give up? Why are you clinching to life so desperately when it's obvious that it'll only bring you more pain? Why can't you just die and end your suffering?_"

"_Because I made a promise._"

"_A promise?_"

"_I vowed that I will defeat you. I gave my word that once it was all over, I would come back to her. I promised her I wouldn't die while fighting someone like you. And so, no matter what happens to my body or soul, I can't die. I WON'T DIE!_"

Chad remembered the tone in Ichigo's voice back then. As he stated firmly that no matter what, he'd live. Chad had admired him at that moment. Covered in injuries of all sorts, from bruises over deep slashes over to definitely fatal blows. And yet he was still standing, his voice was not shaking even one bit and he stated proudly that he was as far away from dying as possible.

Aizen had laughed at this little speech, saying that the orange haired Shinigami was impressive at first, but was only talk upon closer inspection. He had thought one last blow, one that wouldn't take any effort at all, would finish the persistent opponent off. That's where he had been wrong. He let his guard down, and Ichigo used it. His body was defying all laws of physics and logic as he moved at incredible speed. Something he shouldn't be able to do seeing his condition.

And as Aizen thought, it took only one effortless blow to finish it off. But it was not a Substitute Shinigami that fell dead to the ground. It was the traitor of a captain.

Chad sighed as the memories evaporated from his thoughts. Yes, Ichigo was damn persistent. And he was stubborn. If he sat his mind on something, he would definitely do it. And so, Chad decided to wait patiently for his return. It had to come at some point. Ichigo was just too stubborn to give up. He was just like that. And that was why Chad liked him so much.

* * *

_She was on her knees trying to force the air around her to fill her lungs. The heavy and dense spiritual pressure was literally choking her. She could only watch as their biggest enemy, the traitor-captain, made his way between the corpses of her friends and his own subordinates towards her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. All she could do was watch him coming closer and closer, then raising his sword and pull it down to finish her life and end her misery._

_But the strike never came. Instead, she felt a big amount of blood splash onto her. An explosion followed, only to be replaced by dead silence the next moment. But even this dead silence wasn't silent._

"_Im…possible" she heard Aizen's voice, before a thud was heard. He was defeated? Who managed to make this miracle happen? Who saved her life?_

_Another body fell to the ground, probably of the winner. But he or she definitely wasn't alright, judging from his/her short and cut breathing._

_Rukia finally forced her eyes open to see who had saved her life. She narrowed her eyes, trying to recognize the bloody mess in front of her. It was a male, but she couldn't say who it was. A Shinigami, that much she could tell from the remainders of his black kimono. And his sword looked familiar too. It was a small, thin blade, looking like any original Zanpakutō, only that it was entirely black._

_The petite Shinigami let her eyes travel back to her savior. He had opened his eyes now and she saw they were a beautiful amber color. His hair was bright orange._

_The girl gasped in both recognition and horror as she stumbled to his bleeding and definitely dying form._

"_Ichigo!" she cried as she finally knelt down beside him. His wounds were fatal but if she hurried up, maybe she could save him._

"_Ru… Rukia" he spoke in a hoarse voice, struggling for every breath, every bit of air filling his failing lungs. The violet-eyed girl fought back her tears._

"_Don't speak" she said in a tender voice as she started healing him, using the most powerful healing kidō she knew. She wouldn't let him die. She _couldn't_ let him die. "Save your strength. I'm healing you right now. Just hang on, it's going to be fine…" she kept speaking mostly to herself than to him. Her mind knew his injuries were too severe for her to handle alone and quickly enough for him to live, but her heart refused to accept this._

"_Just hang on" she kept repeating. "Hang on, Ichigo."_

_He slowly raised a trembling hand and enclosed one of hers with it, getting her attention._

"_You…" he started speaking, or rather tried to, seeing as breathing alone was getting more and more difficult with each passing second. Rukia tried to make him quit 'wasting his energy', but he didn't listen. "You… aren't Rukia" he finally managed to breathe out. She was taken aback. What in the world…?_

"_What… what do you mean?" she asked as tears started to will up in her eyes. Still, she didn't stop healing him. Maybe he was hallucinating and seeing someone else instead of her? Yeah, that had to be it._

"_You're not… Rukia" he repeated and squeezed her hand with his. "The Rukia I know… would never… say… things like that" he said before hissing loudly as obviously pain shot through his body. Rukia concentrated on her healing spell. She had to hurry up. She had to heal his wound and fast or he would bleed to death! She couldn't be listening to his blabbering now. He probably didn't know what he was saying anyway._

_The petite Shinigami blinked a few stubborn tears away. She couldn't cry now. Now was not the time. There was still hope… right?_

"_The Rukia… I… know… would say" Ichigo's weak voice reached her again. She wanted to tell him to stop talking and hang on. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright, that she would heal him. But she found herself unable to do it as she stared into his amber orbs as his hold on her hand tightened and he pulled her palm to his chest, forcing her to break the kidō. She just continued to look into these hypnotizing, honey-brown orbs as he struggled to continue speaking._

"_She would say… 'You… are going… to die. … So… why not… stay put… and live… a few… seconds… longer?'" he said weakly, before he breathed his last breath, his amber orbs closing slowly. The hand holding her own went limp and now she was the one holding his palm in both of her own._

"_Ichigo?" she asked, her voice shaking. Another short breath found his way to his lungs as he kept struggling to force his eyes back open, as if he wanted to see her one more time. "Ichigo, don't! Don't give up! Don't leave me!" she was crying now, not even trying to stop her tears. He couldn't just die! He couldn't!_

_As if responding to her, he started coughing violently, trying hardly to take in another breath. But he didn't let his eyelids shut completely. He fought his hardest to stay awake as long as he could. So that he could see her one last time._

_But he couldn't fight eternally. Finally, after one final, agonizing cough, he breathed her name before his eyelids shut. Rukia's violet ones did the exact opposite. They widened as she looked at his peaceful, seemingly sleeping face._

"_Ichigo… no, Ichigo!" she cried, trying to shake him awake, despite knowing very well that it won't work. Tears streamed down her face and she didn't try to stop them._

"_ICHIGO!" she yelled and let herself fall onto his unmoving, bloodied torso, crying her heart out._

She awoke due to her own scream, her face still wet from the tears she shed in her sleep. She was sitting on her bed in the squad four barracks.

The petite girl turned her head towards the door, expecting it to fly open any second, revealing a worried carrot-top. But none of that happened. The door stayed closed and no one entered the room. No one responded to her scream. So the news Renji brought weren't a dream after all. Despite her wishing for that, it was the truth. Ichigo was gone and would never come back to hug her and make her nightmares disappear again. He was nothing more but a part of those dreams now, no matter how much she wished for him to return, he would not.

Biting her lower lip, Rukia hugged her knees as she started sobbing to herself again. She didn't stop it, despite the fact that her eyes were already stinging her from all the crying. She never cried this much before in her whole life. But then again, she never felt this miserable, lost and (most of all) guilty either.

She had tried to stop the tears at first, but soon found out it was an impossible task to accomplish. The more she tried, the more she cried.

"_Come on, none of what happened was your fault. Quit blaming yourself dumbass. You're going to drive me insane_" his voice echoed in her head. Whenever something happened to him, whenever he was extremely injured, it would always be her fault. All because of her daydreaming, because of her losing focus and letting her guard down, which led to him protecting her with his own flesh. How often had he saved her life? How often was he threatened to die because of her? And yet, every single time he didn't blame her. Not even once did he say it was her fault.

And how often could she help him in return? What did she ever do for him that ended up without any bad consequences? She turned him into a Shinigami, pushing him into their fights. She gave him strength, putting him in more and more danger at the same time. She confessed her love to him, stopping him from returning to his normal way of living. She forced him to stay in the world of the Shinigami and to fight their battles. But he never complained about it, nor did he blame her when he almost died multiple times. Never.

Drawing blood from her lip, the raven-haired girl let herself fall back onto the sheets, the tears still pouring from her now blood-red, puffy and hurting eyes. But she didn't care. She turned to her side and folded herself into a tiny ball, her sobs increasing in number. She had to let it all out, and the night was the only time when she could, knowing full well that no one would disturb her.

"Ichigo" she said weakly to herself between her sobs. Soon enough, she started to chant his name to herself, as if that was going to calm her nerves and allow her to move on. Which she knew very well she couldn't.

"Ichigo…"

* * *

'_Ichigo…'_

He slowly opened his eyes. He could have as well not have, since there was really no difference in his surroundings, whether his eyes were closed or not. Everything was pitch black and quiet, except for that voice that he heard calling from time to time. Always the same voice, repeating the same word over and over.

'_Ichigo'_

The voice sounded familiar to him somehow, but he could not tell who it belonged to. He couldn't put a name to it, nor a face, not even a general form. He couldn't tell what the owner of the voice was. He couldn't even tell what _he_ was himself. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't see. How the hell was he supposed to know who or what he was if he couldn't even see himself?

And that voice… who or what did it belong to? Why was it so familiar?

Don't forget the word it kept repeating.

'Ichigo'. He wondered what that was. The word in itself seemed awfully familiar too, but he didn't know what an 'Ichigo' was. He shrugged it off. He had all the time in the world to think about it, there was no rush. He would figure it out sooner or later and he could take all the time he wanted to. Not that time existed in this place in the first place… wherever 'this place' was.

He let out a soundless groan. It didn't matter what the voice was or what an 'Ichigo' was, that was unimportant. What was important was that he was hungry. He had to find a way to fill his stomach and quick, or he was going to starve. And that was not something he was looking forward to. Starvation wasn't a really nice way to die.

* * *

"Rukia… are you sure you want to do this?" Ukitake asked her. She nodded her head.

It was almost a month already since Ichigo died. True, she wasn't completely over his death yet (somehow, she felt like she'd never really be. Not while knowing what her last words to him were), but she wasn't going to show her weakness left and right. To anyone who didn't know her, she seemed to have recovered already. No one, not even Byakuya, her brother, knew what she was doing during the night though. No one knew of the nightmares and the silent cries. She kept them perfectly hidden with make-up to cover the bags under her eyes and fake smiles to cover her broken heart and soul. She didn't cry during the day. If she was in pain, no one was allowed to know, except herself.

"It would only be fair to his family to know the truth, Captain Ukitake" she stated firmly as she looked him square in the eye. "I don't think it's good to have them just forget him like that. He doesn't deserve it."

Ukitake sighed. Rukia Kuchiki could sure be stubborn if she wanted to. This was already the fifth time this week that she asked him for permission to go to Karakura Town in order to tell the Kurosaki family what happened to the orange haired boy. Ukitake agreed with her that they deserved to know, but it was so much less painful and so much easier for everyone to just make them forget the boy ever existed. But the raven-haired girl wasn't one to take the easy way out. And the white haired man knew that what she wanted to do was right. His family had every right to know the truth.

"Fine, I'll order the Senkaimon to open for you so that you can go to the World of the Living" he said, finally admitting his defeat. His subordinate bowed to him.

"Thank you, Captain Ukitake" she said before exiting the office.

Once she was outside again she let a sigh escape her lips.

"This will be hard and painful, but I have to do it. They deserve to know" she told herself as she took one calming breath after another. "Isn't that right, Ichigo?" she asked the sky as she looked up to it, as if he was somewhere up there looking at her. Deep in her heart, she hoped he was. Or at least that they would somehow meet again someway.

"I miss you, Ichigo…"

* * *

Female.

Yup, the voice was definitely female. He could say that much after… he didn't know how long it took him to figure it out. Time was irrelevant. It didn't even exist in this world. If it did, he would be able to tell how long he was there. But each time he wondered he drew a blank card.

So the voice coming back to him and haunting him all this time (no matter how long 'all this time' meant) belonged to a female creature. As to what she was precisely, he had four choices: creatures called Hollows, humans, Vizards or Shinigami. He was almost sure it wasn't the first. That left option two, three or four.

He opened his eyes, then closed them again, sinking back into his thoughts and tried to think of who and what she was. There was nothing else he could do, really. The scenery around him didn't change at all. It was still all black and silent. The only thing that changed was that sometimes he felt hungry, but the feeling disappeared miraculously after a while.

He gave out a sound-less sigh as he turned back to his thoughts. The girl that sweet voice belonged to… he had known her at some point. So if he searched within his brain long enough, he had to find her, just like he found himself and the four species of creatures.

Yes, even though he was still unable to tell who the girl was he kept hearing, he had at least a bit of information on himself. He was human once. He then became a Shinigami. Up to a certain point, he was partly a Hollow, but ended up defeating that part of himself. He became a Vizard. What precisely he was _now_, he couldn't tell. But at least he knew something about himself.

And the word the female voice kept repeating. 'Ichigo'. That was his name.

Right now, he didn't know more, but he didn't need to. He was more intrigued by the female voice. On simple gut feeling, he knew she wasn't a Hollow, nor a Vizard. So she could be either a Shinigami or a human. But which one was it? And why did he keep hearing her calling or saying his name?

Suddenly, something about his surroundings changed. It was still pitch black, but at least it wasn't all silent anymore. As he soon found out, it wasn't a good thing though.

"I'm the king!" he heard a voice say.

"No, I'm the one leading us!" A second one disagreed.

"Are you kidding me? I won't follow a weakling like you! I'M the leader" Now a third joined the party and it wasn't long before at least a hundred voices yelled at each other, and the next louder than the previous one.

The voices just kept arguing and arguing about who would lead them. The ruckus that they made caused him a severe headache. He ignored the power streaming at him from everywhere as he stood up, not bothering to wonder that he could finally, actually move. Right now, he had something to do.

"Just SHUT IT ALREADY" he yelled, clenching his fists. He could feel his hair rise up in all directions and so did his clothing as he released a big amount of power. He didn't know where he took it from, nor how he released it. He didn't really care either.

"He's the king" the voices said in silent union before getting silent. Content of the result of heaving his blessed silence again, Ichigo resumed his activity of remembering the mysterious human/Shinigami girl.

* * *

She sighed as she stood in front of the door to the Kurosaki house. Now that she was there, she didn't feel all that confident about telling them. But she had to. They deserved to know.

Striking away the non-existent dirt from her gigai, she walked up the door and knocked. The door opened hesitantly, revealing a blond haired girl. It was Yuzu.

"Rukia-chan" Yuzu said silently as she opened the door. Rukia's eyes widened. The girl remembered her? How was that possible? As far as she knew, she had yet to use the Memory Replacement to make them remember both Ichigo and herself. So how come Yuzu knew her name?

"Please, please come in, Rukia-chan" the younger girls said with a smile on her face as she tugged the dumbstruck Rukia in. It was then that the petite Shinigami noticed that something was off.

"Yuzu" she started, but was interrupted as the small girl tugged to her dress while sobbing quietly.

"Please, Rukia-chan" Ichigo's sister pleaded. "Please, tell me you know where Onii-chan is." Rukia was taken aback by those words.

"How do you…?"

"Rukia?" two voices interrupted her. She looked up to see Isshin and Karin, Ichigo's father and his other younger sister. The petite Shinigami in human disguise sighed.

"I take it you all remember him then, don't you?" she asked matter-of-factly. Karin raised her eyebrows.

"If you mean Ichi-nii, then yeah, we do. Why would we forget him in the first place? He is a part of the family after all" she said. Then she shot a glare at Yuzu, who was still sobbing while holding tightly onto Rukia's clothes.

"Let her go, Yuzu. She's not going to tell us anything if you keep clinging to her like that. Besides, why are you crying? I told you, he'll just come back one day as if nothing happened."

"But it's been a month already. He's never disappeared for this long" Yuzu answered. Karin sighed.

"So what? This doesn't mean he's dead or anything."

Rukia shivered, before calling up all her courage.

"Uhm… actually… well… Ichigo… he's…" she trailed of, before taking in a deep breath and telling them the whole story.

* * *

A Shinigami. He was now sure the voice belonged to a female Shinigami. A female Shinigami who was very important to him. A good friend, he figured. But her name still remained a mystery of his brain. He just couldn't remember it.

He remembered other things though. Like how he became a Shinigami. Of course, it all started with that girl. But there was also another thing. He remembered that there was a hollow. And that it was interested in him, due to his high density of spiritual pressure. And because it came looking for him, his two sisters and his dad were in danger. So in order to save them, he became a Shinigami.

The girl who was important to him helped of course. She was the one to somehow give him this power. He later paid her back by saving her life. Then, the war started as one of the captains betrayed Soul Society. He ended up defeating the guy. He survived that battle. The end of the Winter War as it was called. But then something happened. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but something happened. Something involving the petite Shinigami, whose name he couldn't remember.

He suddenly heard something. Distant voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying though. He frowned. How often does he have to shut them up? He was growing tired of this already. He just wanted a little peace and quiet.

Standing up, he opened his eyes… and blinked. The scenery actually changed. It was still dark, but now he could make out something like a city turned in a ninety degrees angle, so that the buildings were the safe ground, while the solid ground they stood on was the horizon. The wall of a second building acted as the sky, why the real one was to his left. It was still dark and he could hardly see in front of him, but he felt like he has been to this place before. And he also felt like something was missing there. But what was it? And where was this place?

* * *

Rukia lay on her bed back in her room in the Kuchiki residence. After her last escapade to the World of the Living a week ago to meet Ichigo's family, Byakuya had literally locked her up in her room. For what reason, she didn't know, but she had to admit, she felt grateful. At least she could cry in peace whenever she felt like it. Because the meeting with his family made her fall apart all over again. And she felt like living through his death once more. As if a movie replayed in her mind.

Well, it wasn't really Isshin's and his daughters fault. She could understand their feelings. She doubted she would have taken it much better if after waiting for a month someone told her that the one she waited for was dead. Hell, she didn't take it well after simple three days of waiting.

Cursing herself for remembering these painful moments she threw herself on her pillow as she started crying again. She never knew it would be this easy to open up the half healed wound in her heart. Nor did she think it would be this painful. But it was, and as she thought back on the pained expression of Isshin, Yuzu's teary eyes and Karin's brown orbs, she couldn't help but cry. Especially Karin made her suffer. The girl hadn't said anything, but her eyes said clearly that she blamed her and hated her for what had happened to Ichigo. But she didn't say it out loud. That didn't help the fact that Rukia finally let her mask crack as her heart fell apart again.

"I can't take it" she sobbed to herself as she hugged her pillow. "I just can't" normally, she'd be surprised the pillow hasn't exploded yet, from all the strain she put it through. But right now, she didn't care as she spoke her biggest wish into thin air, not daring to hope that it might come true. The wish she kept inside her ever since she heard Renji say the three most hated words. But now, she finally spilled it out and little did she know that someone actually heard her.

"Please, Ichigo. Please, come back. Come back to me."

* * *

"_Please, Ichigo. Please, come back. Come back to me._"

There it was again, the female's voice. But this time, she actually said something more than only his name. She asked him to come back.

Ichigo felt his heart beat faster as he heard her voice as new memories started to find his way back to his mind. He was slowly but surely regaining his sanity. His sanity as the Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. And he remembered almost everything there was to remember. Sure, something still missed, he knew that. But he was sure he would remember it at some point just like he remembered her, her face and everything else. If only he could remember her name…

Suddenly, he opened his eyes to the half dark surroundings as his mind clicked. He smiled to himself.

"Rukia."

It was as if a spell was beaten. Finally, his vision and hearing was clear. He could feel the breeze on his face, he could hear the wind blowing between the buildings and finally he could see clearly where he was.

It was the half turned city, inside his soul.

Wait a minute, what was he doing inside his soul? If he was there, it meant he was alive, right? But he remembered clearly now that he died… after taking Ichimaru Gin down with him. How could he be alive then?

Ichigo sighed as he looked around, trying to find his mentor. Maybe Zangetsu would know what has happened.

Oddly enough, the old man was nowhere to be seen. But that wasn't the only thing that unsettled Ichigo. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the buildings of his soul were slowly falling apart. Some were in ruins already, others had just a few broken windows, but it wouldn't take long before they too would collapse.

And they had all blood on them. Long streams of blood. The orange haired supposed-to-be-dead-but-apparently-alive boy shivered at the sight. Why was there this much blood here? Why inside of his soul of all places? And why was the sky clouded with brown and red clouds? Just what the Hell was going on here? What was happening to him?

Sighing, Ichigo turned around and walked up the building, where normally its roof would be. If someone knew what was going on here, it was Zangetsu. So Ichigo had nothing else in mind than to find him, find out what happened and bring his soul in order again, so that he could come back to Rukia. He didn't care that she said she didn't want to ever see him again. He frankly didn't care. He would care if she told him that _after_ he explained the whole affair.

But first, he had to bring himself and his soul in order. And to do that, he had to find Zangetsu.

* * *

**So, how was it? Like it? Hate it? Please, leave a review and tell me what you think.**

**And sorry if the end of this chapter sucked a bit, but it's really late and I start having brain malfunction. Hope it was still readable though…**


	3. Ichigo & Shirosaki: The powers we gained

**Well, here the next chapter for you guys. I'm sorry it took so long, but I finally managed to type this one out. I hope it doesn't suck too much.**

**Anyway, thank you everyone for all the encouraging reviews. They really helping, I mean it :]**

**For those who don't know (I doubt there's someone like that, but better safe than sorry): Shirosaki is one of the names I chose for Ichigo's inner hollow. Further explanation at the bottom A/N.**

**Alright, I don't have much to say now, so please enjoy and keep reviewing XD**

_**Disclaimer: My name is NOT Tite Kubo, so naturally BLEACH is not mine. I wouldn't be good enough to own it anyway.**_

**Thousand thanks to my awesome beta, **_**romancejunky**_** :3**

**Reder's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

* * *

_Chapter 3 – Ichigo & Shirosaki: The powers we gained_

Ichigo looked up as the sound of metal clashing against metal reached his ears. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him, but seeing as he was inside his soul where normally everything was perfectly peaceful, the sound immediately sent him on high alert as he ran off in the direction it came from.

He stopped abruptly at the edge of the building and took the sight in. Zangetsu was there in fighting position, the thin Bankai-blade firmly in his hands, and with an expression that clearly said he wasn't going to lose. And opposite him, ready to fight as well, was Ichigo himself. Except the fact that he was all white and black.

He had no doubt it was his other self. His inner Hollow. But he looked somewhat different this time. He looked stronger. A lot stronger that the last time the carrot-top had met and fought him.

"Why do you keep resisting Zangetsu? You should notice by now that it's futile. Even if you defeat me, it will bring you nothing. Ichigo won't come back simply because I'll be temporarily sleeping. He won't come back from wherever it is he disappeared to, so why keep fighting, old man?" the mirror image of Ichigo asked as he attacked again. The two resumed their battle, completely ignoring the fact that they're being observed and listened to.

Ichigo on the other hand couldn't move an inch. It was as if he was frozen in place. All he could do was watch and listen. And try to comprehend what's going on. Why was Zangetsu fighting Tsuchiro* anyway? The two got along pretty well as far as Ichigo could remember.

"We never know what happens once I defeat you, but I doubt that nothing will come of it" the Zanpakutō-spirit replied calmly. "This place still exists, so Ichigo cannot be dead. And since he isn't dead, he cannot stay away forever. Until he returns, I shall stop you from destroying his soul any further."

The Hollow merely laughed as he blocked another one of Zangetsu's attacks without breaking a sweat. It was more than obvious to Ichigo that his inner Hollow had become extremely powerful in the time he was… in that black space. Where was that anyway? And how long had he been there?

And wait, did Zangetsu just say that it was his other self that brought his soul into such a miserable state? Well, seeing as he probably had the control over his body, Ichigo couldn't really be surprised. He should have seen that one coming the moment Tsuchiro gained the 'crown'.

"Why do you want that weakling to come back anyway? Can't you see we're better off without him? Ever since he disappeared, it hasn't rained even once. I thought you loathed the rain, old man. So you should be happy I made it stop" the black-and-white Ichigo yelled as he kept trying to land a hit on Zangetsu. The old man stood his ground firmly though and blocked every single one of the attacks. He didn't seem at least perturbed by Shirosaki's words and kept his expression perfectly calm.

"It's true, I loathe the rain" he said calmly as he evaded another strike. "But…" he added as he raised his sword. "I loathe darkness even more. And that's all you're bringing to this place" he finished calmly and struck.

Ichigo's inner Hollow merely smirked as he evaded the attack almost effortlessly and counterattacked. Zangetsu was, for the first time in Ichigo's life, caught completely off guard and sent flying a few meters towards the carrot-top. Not that Shirosaki noticed him, he was much too preoccupied.

Ichigo clenched his fists as he watched his other self approaching his mentor. '_Zangetsu!_' he cried in his thoughts as his mouth became a thin line and his brows furred in the deepest frown ever visible on his face. But the frown was not directed at Tsuchiro. It was directed at himself.

'_I'm such a coward_' he thought with disgust. How could he let that happen? How could he let his other self take over? God only knows what the bastard did while controlling his body. And instead of coming and facing him like he should, he hid in the dark place, wherever that had been. He was disgusted with himself.

But no more. He would not run away. He will face himself, he will fight and he will win. Then he'll undo all the damage Shirosaki had done to his soul and finally, he'll return to his friends. He will not run.

Slowly, his hand reached up to his back where he could feel his swords weight. He grabbed the hilt tightly. His other self was now right in front of Zangetsu, his sword raised as if he wanted to kill the spirit off. Like Ichigo will let that happen.

Dust filled the area as Ichigo's hollow swung his blade down.

Shirosaki's mocking grin was whipped away from his face as he felt resistance on his sword much sooner than he should have. There was no way the blade reached the old man already. So what disturbed him?

"Hey, Tsuchiro" a familiar, deep voice was heard. The black and golden eyes widened as the dust cleared, revealing a familiar carrot-top with a black kimono on. It was the sword of said carrot-top that stopped his own, meat-cleaver-looking-like blade. "Did you miss me?"

"Ichigo" the inner hollow said, his brows twitching. Why did the idiot have to come back? And why now when he was having so much fun? When he finally became strong. "Took you long enough to come back" he mocked.

"I know, but now that I'm here, I guess you can give the crown back to me" the Shinigami replied calmly, ignoring the mocking tone of his other self completely.

"Like I'll ever succumb to you again" Tsuchiro said through his gritted teeth as he pushed his sword harder against Ichigo's.

The orange-haired boy scowled even more as he put his other hand, which was up until now by his side, to his blade. Then he pushed with all his might, countering his inner hollows attack and making him stumble backwards.

"Fine, then I'll just have to beat it out of you" he said calmly as he rested his palm on his elbow, Zangetsu's blade still pointed at his opponent. Shirosaki took the same stance.

"Bankai!" they said in union as their clothing changed. Tsuchiro didn't waste any time to attack, but he was, unfortunately for him, unable to catch Ichigo off guard. The two blades crashed together for a second, before the two fighters sprang away from one another, only to crash back together a few meters away.

"Eat this, Ichigo!" his other self laughed as it prepared to unleash a Cero on him. The carrot-top recognized it immediately. It was the Cero that surprised even Ulquiorra. The one powerful enough to blast away a Cero Oscuras.

But Ichigo didn't let himself be impressed as he prepared to counter the attack. He knew that the energy blast would be much quicker than him, so there was no hope of dodging successfully. But a simple Getsuga Tenshō would not be enough to counter it either, Ichigo was well aware of that. So he had to try something else. It was time he tried _that_ out.

He let go of his sword, swinging it on his finger instead. A blue circle formed rapidly around his arm as he let a small amount of his reiatsu to escape through the tip, but he didn't allow it to discard, keeping the form of a circle. It slowly grew brighter and brighter as he allowed more of his spiritual pressure to flow into the blade.

"Tsukinowa" he said in a low tone as he quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword and swung it in a half-arc motion towards his 'alter ego'.

"Sora o Kiru!**" As he was in the middle of the swing, he suddenly jerked his arm back, the force of the sudden change of direction throwing the circle of energy at his opponent. It was in the same moment that the Moon's Ring flew at him, that Tsuchiro finally fired the cero.

As the two attacks collided, both Ichigo's and his mirror image's eyes widened as the Ring cut through the cero without much problem, slicing it into two. An explosion soon followed as the two attacks destroyed each other. Tsuchiro whistled.

"That was a nice one, Ichigo. To think that it blasted away my cero after cutting through it without effort, it really must have been a deadly attack. The name seems fitting" he complimented, yet the mocking grin on his face did not disappear. At least not until the smoke cleared and he realized that Ichigo wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"And you seem to be so overconfident that you easily lose focus" a calm voice said behind him and the white version of Ichigo whirled around to block a black blade in the last moment. Then he smirked.

"I might not be able to use that attack for now" he said as his grip on his white blade tightened. "But I still have…" he trailed off before the mocking grin returned to his face and he pushed the blade with all his might, knocking Zangetsu's black version down and leaving Ichigo completely unguarded.

"…Getsuga Tenshō!" the Moon-fang flew rapidly through the air, quickly closing the minimal distance there was between it and Ichigo, landing a direct hit. Coughing up blood, the Substitute Shinigami fell to the ground, a huge crater marking the place where he landed.

The orange haired boy forced himself to stand up. He could not lose. He wouldn't become the horse. Not after proving that he's stronger than his other self once before. He was stronger than the other back then, he definitely is stronger now.

Tsuchiro laughed at his former masters pathetic tries to continue fighting. This was truly pathetic. Sure, the orange head has become strong, but there's no way he'll be stronger that him now. Not after all this time.

Ichigo stood up, his head bent down. He didn't know what he was doing, except that he was only following his instinct. And thus, the words flew out of his mouth as if on their own, showing him his last means of winning.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!" he said in a mere whisper as he looked up. His other self raise an eyebrow at him as the young Shinigami raised his arms and pointed his arms at him.

"What are you doing?" he asked in genuine surprise, not seeing coming what Ichigo wanted to do.

"Bakudō number nine: Geki!" Ichigo yelled in return, not even bothering how in the world he knew the incantation, let alone how he was able to use the spell in the first place.

Tsuchiro screamed in surprise as the red ropes bound him and made moving impossible. They simply paralyzed him.

Ichigo didn't waste any time. The spell probably wouldn't hold long. It was his first time after all… regardless of the fact he still didn't know how in the world he was able to use it in the first place. He had never learned kidō for God's sake!

Dropping these thoughts for now, Ichigo quickly jumped high in the air in the direction of his opponent. When he was at the same height as his white self, he raised his sword and slashed the air in front of him.

"GETSUGA TENSHŌŌŌ!"

Black-golden eyes widened as Hollow-Ichigo tried desperately to break free from the spell, but it was in vain. Not even a second later an extremely loud crash echoed in the empty and falling apart city as the attack reached its target and exploded.

Ichigo landed on the ground with ease and slowly approached the bloody mess of his other self. As he stood over him, he brought his black blade to the white neck of his opponent.

"I hope you're admitting defeat, Tsuchiro" he said. His mirror image glared at him with that same smirk on his face as the last time the two had an all out fight.

"Heh, fine, you win. You're the king. But should you ever show weakness again, I'll take the crown back and next time, I will not let you take it" it said, still grinning that sadistic smile of his. Ichigo scowled.

"Like you're ever going to get the crown again" he said in a low tone as Tsuchiro disappeared. Soon enough, his own vision was engulfed with darkness.

x

He slowly opened his eyes, only to see a pretty much ruined ceiling above him. Intrigued, he pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around. He recognized the room almost immediately. It was the Fourth Tower, where he met Ulquiorra and fought him to help Inoue back in the times of the war. But why was he here of all the places? It wasn't in this part of Las Noches that he fought Ichimaru.

Speaking of which, where was that fox-face? Oh right. If Ichigo remembered correctly, he had sliced him almost in two during the battle with his Moon-fang, as there was no time to use Tsukinowa. Plus, he could have hurt Renji and Yumichika in the process, since he wasn't sure is he could control the technique yet. Zangetsu only taught him that _after_ he defeated Aizen. Why the old man couldn't teach him that technique sooner, the carrot-top would never know.

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind and he was on his feet in less than two seconds. Ichimaru was dead, that was sure. But he was still in Las Noches and by the looks of it, he was alone.

"RENJI!" he yelled, looking around for any type of reaction. Nothing. Absolute zero. Could it be that the redhead just left him behind?

"YUMICHIKA!" he tried the name of his other companion, but silence was all that responded to him.

He was about to try again, this time raising his hand to his mouth when something caught his attention. He took a better look at himself and his eyes widened. Instead of his black Shinigami uniform, he was wearing white. Pants and coat, all in white. No doubt, this was the uniform of the Arrancars.

And the sword that hung at his right hip was definitely not Zangetsu. But his back felt light and there was no sheath there, so it was not on his back either. What happened to his Zanpakutō?

Frowning, Ichigo slowly unsheathed the sword at his side. It was a simple Ōdachi with a long hilt with small black and white feathers tied to its end and a white, sharp, straight blade. If Ichigo didn't know any better, he'd say it was a reproduction of a sword of old times. But he _knew_ better and figure the sword had more to it than just deadly looks. It most definitely had a name and Ichigo was certain what it was, although he was unable to tell how he knew it.

'_Demonio_' the orange haired boy thought to himself, without saying the name out aloud. He didn't want to release it. Not yet anyway.

But wait, if he had a sword other than Zangetsu… did that mean…?

He slowly raised his shaking hand to his face, then let it travel up to his orange mane. Sure enough, on its way there, it encountered a bone-like material on the top part of his forehead. It was definitely part of his mask.

The brown-eyed Shinigami… uhm… Espada let his hand travel over the rests of his mask. From what he could feel, two bigger parts were preserved a bit over his temples and where connected by a thin line over his forehead. The two bigger parts bore what was left of what probably used to be horns.

His hand fell limply at his side as his amber orbs widened. He was an Espada… or at least a Vasto Lordes. He was a hollow.

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead. Of course! If he was a hollow… it all made sense now. He died after fighting Ichimaru. Yet he still is alive. He just became a Hollow once he died. Not that it was anything to be proud of.

And while he was a Hollow… that explained the void around him. Hollows fight on instinct alone so they don't really need to have an inner world. That also explained the moments when he was hungry and when the hunger suddenly disappeared all on its own.

And when he started hearing these thousands of voices around him, all debating who's the king… he was probably a Gillian then, since Gillians are accumulations of thousands and thousands of lower Hollows.

Then he started seeing a bit of his Inner World and hearing very faintly the fights between Zangetsu and Shirosaki. That was when he was an Adduchas at least that's what he thought.

And now he gained control again and he was a Vasto Lordes.

"**More than a Vasto Lordes, King. More than just a lousy Vasto Lordes"** Tsuchiro's voice echoed in his head. He didn't bother asking what his other self meant. If he was more than a Vasto Lordes, he could only be an Espada.

'_Alright, spill it out, Tsuchiro. What exactly did you do while I was… out?_' he asked in his thoughts as he started moving forward through the rubble. He couldn't stay in the tower forever.

"**Well, what do you think? I kept us alive and I made us stronger"** his inner Hollow replied. A realization suddenly struck Ichigo and the Espada stopped dead in his tracks. **"Don't worry though, King. I only ate hollows. It's not like there many Human souls in Hueco Mundo and I figured you wouldn't want to be out"** his alter ego calmed him rapidly, noticing the change of mood.

And Ichigo didn't exactly know why, but he believed him. Except for…

'_And how come I can use kidō? I never learned it, so technically I shouldn't be able to use it. But it feels so natural, like I've never done anything else… You didn't devour any Soul Reapers, did you?_' the last question was in a menacing tone, as if daring Shirosaki to say otherwise.

"**Like there are any Shinigami here"** his other self replied sarcastically. **"But it is possible that one of the hollows I ate had eaten a Shinigami or two before meeting me. And since neither it nor I had what it took, we couldn't use his memories to learn kidō. It might have worked with you, king, since you're a Shinigami yourself."**

'_More like I was. I can hardly call myself a Shinigami without my Soul Cutter. Where's Zangetsu anyway? He disappeared as the two of us fought_' Ichigo thought, more to himself than to Tsuchiro, but the hollow still replied.

"**Well, he can't be dead because you're alive, so mu guess is he's hiding somewhere inside your soul like he was before and is just waiting for you to call him."**

Ichigo was about to answer something when he passed a window. There wasn't much of it left, but there was enough glass for him to see what he looked like. His eyes widened at the sight. Not that he changed much in his appearance. He still had the same, amber eyes and the spiky orange hair. But what was rather… strange looking… was the mask, or rather what was left of it.

The ex-Shinigami gulped at the sight of his own face. Slowly, his hand wandered up to his collar and pulled it down. There, as he expected (although he couldn't really say how he knew that it was there), was a number tattooed onto his neck. It was the number one.

"Primera Espada" the orange haired boy whispered to himself as tears started whiling up in his eyes. He was glad that he was alive at first, but now, he knew that it was more of a curse than a blessing.

He couldn't return home because he wasn't human anymore. But he couldn't go to Soul Society either, that would be suicide seeing what he had become. He was as good as locked up in Hueco Mundo.

And that meant that even though he survived, he would never see _her_ again.

'_Rukia…_' he though, a bitter expression on his young face. Despite the things she said to him before he left, he still loved her. He still missed her. He still wanted to see her.

But even if he went to the World of the Living and somehow managed to stumble upon her, there was no way he could allow her to see him like that. Just no way.

Because even though he didn't explain it himself, Chad probably told her about him meeting his mother. He told his best friend that after all, in the short five minutes he got to see him before Unohana showed up. And if Rukia knew, that meant she probably wasn't mad at him anymore.

And if she wasn't mad, she was probably sad, thinking that he's dead. But Ichigo didn't know what would cause her more pain. Thinking that he's dead or knowing that he's alive but that he became what he is now?

'_It's better if she doesn't know_' Ichigo decided. He would not allow her to see what he had become. No matter what, he won't allow her to know about it. He won't let her suffer more than she already has.

Reaching behind, Ichigo grabbed the cowl attached to his white coat and pulled it over his head, hiding his face completely from view. Rukia wouldn't be the only one not knowing. No one would find out. No one.

Or almost no one, as he soon found out.

It happened quickly. One feel. One automatic reaction. A flash of blue light. And there he was standing face to face with no other than Nelilel Tu Oderschvank, their swords crossed.

Ichigo blinked, although it couldn't be seen beneath his cowl. He was surely blocking Nel's blow with a sword, but it wasn't his Espada sword, since he didn't pull it out of its sheath. When he felt danger, he instinctively reached behind his back to grab Zangetsu, forgetting the fact that the sword was not there. And yet he blocked the blow with the sword he was now holding in his hand.

It could have been easily mistaken for a Chokutōn seeing its short hilt and straight partially double-edged blade. The only thing that was different was the size of the blade and its color. It was extremely long and Ichigo guessed it was probably little shorter than his body, if not exactly as long, and it was in a light and yet deep blue color. It reminded him of the light of the moon.

"_**It's been a while, Ichigo"**_a deep voice ran through his head and he gripped the new found sword tighter, smirking. Only now did he realize that his clothing changed again. He was now wearing his Shinigami uniform again, but the hood and the cloak stayed white.

'_Sure has. It's good to have you back, Zangetsu_' the orange haired boy replied before pushing his enemy away. He didn't attack though. Nelilel was his friend, so he wasn't going to fight her.

To his surprise, she didn't attack either.

"Who are you?" she asked instead. "I will not keep chasing you while going easy on you forever. Tell me who you are now or else I might not have the choice but to kill you."

Her tone was threatening but Ichigo could never take her words to heart. He hasn't seen her in her adult from for long, but he knew enough to see that she was bluffing.

"You don't have a reason to fight me, Nel, much less to kill me" he said calmly as he put Zangetsu in its sheath on his back and stood up. He didn't know why he did it, but despite what he told himself moments ago, to keep his identity hidden from everyone, he raised his hand and pushed the cowl back slightly, so that his face was visible, but the mask stayed hidden.

"So why don't we just take it easy and talk like the friends I hope we are?" he asked with a small smile. Nel's eyes widened in recognition as she lowered her sword.

"Ichigo" she whispered.

* * *

A young girl walked slowly through the abandoned streets of the town. The reason for them being abandoned was simply because other people were either at school, or at work. But not her. Today, she was skipping class. Again.

She sighed, letting her flat, black hair fall into her face. She couldn't help but feel depressed and this was one of the very few moments were she allowed herself to show her weakness.

It was on that day that her world almost fell apart. That day that she became even more pessimistic than before. The day when that hated girl came to tell those terrifying news.

_[Flashback]_

"_Uhm… actually… well… Ichigo… he's…" she trailed off. Karin eyed her warily. What was Ichigo's friend hiding?_

_The girl in front of them took a deep breath as if to calm herself before speaking again._

"_You're all spiritually aware, right? I mean, you can see ghosts, just like Ichigo could, right?" she asked. Karin raised an eyebrow before nodding._

"_Yeah, I can see them. Yuzu can feel them but not much more and dad is completely clueless about them, but whatever. What of it?" she asked, her tone completely whipped of any emotion. Rukia opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a surprisingly serious Isshin._

"_Correction, Karin" he said calmly. "I couldn't see ghosts before, but I can now." Rukia only nodded before continuing._

"_Then I don't have to persuade you to believe in their existence. However, there is a 'species' of ghosts, as you might say. They're what's called 'Shinigami'" the raven haired girl said. Karin was surprised to see that topic coming up, but chose to hide it and let the other girl continue, although she didn't feel at ease at all. How did this girl know about the Shinigami? Did she know about Ichi-nii?_

"_Death gods?" Yuzu asked in a worried tone._

"_More or less. Commonly also called Soul Reapers" Rukia answered, not looking at anyone around them. Her gaze suddenly wandered to the floor as she lowered her head. "I am one of them… and so was Ichigo" she stated hesitantly._

_Karin had to fight the urge to raise her eyebrows in surprise. This girl was a Shinigami? No way, she couldn't be… could she?_

_On the other hand, her brother was one and he was perfectly normal on the outside._

"_Onii-chan was… a Soul Reaper?" Yuzu asked with wide eyes before actually letting a chuckle escape. It was Rukia's turn to look surprised._

"_That's impossible. Onii-chan can't be a Soul Reaper, he isn't even dead…" suddenly, the girl stopped laughing as if a realization had struck her. She turned to the 'Shinigami-girl'._

"_Onii-chan isn't dead… right?" she asked with teary eyes. Rukia's eyes stayed emotionless._

"_Not too long ago… the Shinigami were at war with a traitor" she said, avoiding Yuzu's question. "As a Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo was dragged into that war. It was thanks to him that we won" she said. Yuzu's eyes were wide with surprise and awe, while Isshin looked just proud. Karin hid her emotions perfectly, but she had to fight the urge to smirk._

"_Whatever. And where's Ichi-nii now?" she asked. Finally, the girl in front of her raised her eyes and met her gaze. Her purple eyes were full of sadness and sorrow and despite herself, Karin started to fear the worst. And unfortunately, she was right._

"_There was only one opponent left that escaped execution. As one of those who healed quickly, Ichigo was sent with e few friends on a mission to finish the traitor. But he never came back" she said sadly. Karin clenched her fists, already understanding what this meant, yet still refusing to accept it. It just wasn't possible. Ichigo couldn't just go off and die!_

"_No… it can't be…" Yuzu said between sobs as she tugged Rukia's dress. "Rukia-chan, you're joking, right?"_

_Isshin didn't say anything as he just stared at his 'third daughter'._

"_I'm sorry, but that's the truth" Rukia said quietly. Yuzu let go of her and took a few steps backwards, falling into Isshin's hands. It was then that the Shinigami spoke the three words that made the world of the Kurosaki family crumble to pieces._

"_Ichigo is dead."_

_Karin couldn't believe what she was hearing, even if her face never showed it. It just couldn't be. He brother couldn't be dead, he couldn't!_

_But deep down, she knew he was. _

It's all her fault_ the black haired girl thought as she glared daggers at Rukia. _She was the one who made him a Shinigami, she was the one who pulled him into these battles! It's all her fault!

"_Thank you, Rukia-chan" her father's calm voice broke up her thoughts. "Thank you for telling us."_

_[End of Flashback]_

Karin shook her head to shake the terrible memory off, but it just kept hunting her. It was almost unbearable, but she managed to hide her sadness from Yuzu and her father. She didn't want them to worry. She promised herself she wouldn't cry and she meant it. She will not cry.

She sighed as the memory finally subsided, at least for the time being. It's been a year since that day. A year since he was gone. A year since she last felt happy.

* * *

"I just asked if you can maintain that form and you said you can! If that's the case, why do I have to carry you around again?" Ichigo tired to sound irritated, but failed miserably as he saw Nel's smiling face. The girl had changed into her childish form again, shortly after they finished their never-really-started battle. Funny thing was, she claimed she regained all her powers a second before turning back. And it didn't seem like it was in intended transformation.

Still, Ichigo could hardly complain. Nel was still his friend and he was glad to see her again. Besides, she was less hyper in this form and that was another good thing. At least she didn't choke him when she's throwing herself at him.

"So, what were you doing in Las Noches anyway, Nel?" he asked as he jumped over another crater that was created during one of the fights back when he came to rescue Orihime during the war. The small Arrancar on his shoulder shrugged.

"Nel felt a strong spiritual pressure, so Nel decided to take a look at it. Many hollows were coming out of there recently, most headed to the World of the Living. Nel tried to stop them, but Nel never dared to follow them into the Real World" the former Tercera Espada replied. At least she wasn't amnesic while in child-form anymore, even if she did speak like she used to.

"Why?" he asked. Nel looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"If Nel went to the World of the Living, Nel would most certainly attract Shinigami to herself and Nel can't fight Shinigami! Nel sees Soul Reapers as friends but the Soul Reapers don't see Nel as a friend."

"So why do you think you can go there now?" Ichigo asked, avoiding crossing gazes with her.

"Because Itsygo is with Nel! And Shinigami won't attack Itsygo since Itsygo is a Shinigami too" she said excitedly and the _ex_-Shinigami sighed. Finally they decided they were far enough from the 'Hollow Nest', which Las Noches had currently become, and Nel forced a Graganta open. Ichigo jumped high and entered it without much problem, and ran through, creating the perfect path, just like he saw Unohana do it before, on his way to fight Aizen.

"**You could have opened a Graganta without a problem too you know"** Shirosaki told him, but Ichigo was too focused on passing through the void and on Nel's words to care.

"_Shinigami won't attack Itsygo since Itsygo is a Shinigami too."_

'_Don't be so sure, Nel. Don't be so sure_' he thought but said nothing as the two of them continued their journey towards the Real World.

* * *

***Tsuchiro – the name I thought up for Ichigo's inner Hollow, since he doesn't seem to have a real name in the canon and I got bored of simply plain 'Hichigo' and I needed a first name, since I consider 'Shirosaki' (another not-really-from-canon name, but I like this one, so I'll stick with it. Mix of 'shiro', meaning 'white', and 'Kurosaki' as far as I know) more of a last name rather than a first name. It's a mix of 'Ichigo' and 'Utsuro', the latter meaning 'a hollow'.**

*** *Tsukinowa Sora o Kiru– the name of an invented attack of Ichigo. It literally means 'Ring around the moon slicing through the skies' and it's coming out from my imagination, 'cause I thought it would be boring if he only used Getsuga Tenshō all the time. There might be other though up attacks coming up later.**

**OK, that was chapter three for you. See, Ichigo ain't dead, but it's not like he came back from the dead either, as some suspected (come on people, Ichigo's no god!). But I hope you still liked the way I made it all happen. If not, my deepest apologies.**

**Now that I'm done with my rambling…**

**PLEASE REVIEW. THE BUTTON IS BELOW. I'LL BE GRATEFUL IF YOU DO :3**


	4. Ichigo & Shirosaki: Returning Home

**Well, here it is, chapter 4 for you XD That was another rather quick up-date, but what can I say, I can't stop myself from writing with such wonderful reviewers as you XD Thanks so much, people :3**

**But, I can't forget a special thanks to a certain someone, and this special thanks is coming right up as a dedication.**

**This chapter is entirely dedicated to the wonderful **_**forever-will-love2112**_**, whose review kicked me right into writing out the entire chapter, and even the beginning of the next. It completely made my day (not that the other reviews didn't, I loved all of them!) So, as thanks, this chapter is dedicated to you and I mean it.**

**Alright, enough of my blabbing I suppose. On with the chapter. I hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing for you guys :3**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWER:**

_**Yuki: **_**I'm really glad you like the story and I hope you like the way it progresses. Please, enjoy the next chapter, if it is to your liking XD**

_**Disclaimer: Can I cut it out? Surely you know that I don't own it, it's kinda obvious, right?**_

**As always, special thanks to my awesome beta, **_**romancejunky**_**.**

**Reader's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

* * *

_Chapter 4 – Ichigo & Shirosaki: Returning home_

Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks as he saw a light at the end of the dark space. He was almost at the end of the path. Just a little more and he would be back in the World of the Living. Just a little more and he would see his home town again, with all the familiar places, all the familiar faces and all its memories.

He wasn't at the entrance yet, but he already felt the stinging pain in the place where his heart would usually be. Not that he still had one. He was a Hollow, he lost his heart the moment he transformed. But that didn't stop him from feeling the pain in the place it used to be. It was a weird feeling, hurting in a place where nothing was.

He sighed as he started slowly walking towards the dim light. The Garganta hasn't opened on the other side yet, but it wouldn't be long before the mouth like door would tear the skies open. Not that many people would notice. Only Ishida, Inoue and Chad. Karin probably too. And maybe his father.

His father? Some may wonder where that thought came from but truth be told, Ichigo noticed a change in the way his father's reiatsu felt since he first met the Arrancars, right before the all out war.

Shaking these thoughts off, he briefly thought about going to see his family. Well, as long as no one recognized him, he guessed it would be fine. And he really missed his family. The thought of seeing his sisters and even his crazy dad again gave him new resolve. It wasn't a wonder though. The last time he saw them was shortly before he went to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime. After that, he fought many Arrancars and finally got a fight with Aizen. And then he stayed at Sereitei as to not leave his friends and Rukia.

And next thing he knew, he was dead and an Arrancar himself. Yeah, it was time to see his family, even if they couldn't see him.

"Hold on tight, Nel" he said to the small, green-haired Arrancar girl as he started running again, as fast as his feet could carry him. The dim light approached quickly and before he knew, there was, literally, an explosion of bright, white light as the Garganta opened to reveal Karakura Town. Without any hesitation, Ichigo jumped out of the mouth-like path and onto the roofs of the buildings of the town.

* * *

An alarm suddenly went off at the twelfth division Headquarters, startling everyone.

"What the Hell is it?" The captain of said division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, asked angrily, mad at the fact that the alarm interrupted an important experiment of his.

"It's an Arrancar alarm, Mayuri-sama" Nemu answered calmly, not afraid a little bit by her superior's expression. The explanation calmed the mad scientist down, making even him widen his eyes in surprise. The expression quickly faded away though, replaced by an interested one.

"Arrancars surfaced in the World of the Living again?" he asked and cracked a smile. "Where?"

"At Karakura Town, Mayuri-sama" the girl replied formally. Kurotsuchi sighed.

"Guess we'll have to report that to Yamamoto. Take care of that, Nemu. I'm too busy right now."

"Right, Mayuri-sama."

* * *

'_We're home_' the orange haired boy thought with a small smile on his lips as he slowly descended from the skies.

"**Yeah, we are"** he heard Shirosaki's voice in his head. His other self actually sounded nostalgic, as if he missed the place too. Well, he was a part of Ichigo, so the Primera Espada wasn't really surprised.

"_**It feels good to be back in the town we first met. I'm glad we came back"**_Zangetsu said almost to himself. Ichigo smirked as he landed in one of the streets, unnoticed by anyone.

'_What do you guys say we go the exact place where Tsuchiro was, practically, born first?_' the ex-Shinigami asked the other two other parts of his Soul. He could feel Zangetsu's questioning aura and chuckled. It was as if the old man was right in front of him and he could see every expression he made.

"**The place where I was born? You mean the place that guy with the green hat lives at?"** he heard his Hollow speak. Ichigo nodded mentally and as expected, it was as if the entities of his soul saw the action. **"What do you want to go to Mister Hat-'n'-Clogs for?"**

'_Do you think Soul Society doesn't feel our __**Arrancar**__ reiatsu? They probably know about us coming here already. Last thing I want is to run into some of our friends who take us for the enemy (not that I could blame them) and decide to fight us_' he replied calmly.

"_**You're going to hide in a reiatsu concealing gigai, aren't you?" **_Zangetsu's voice wasn't accusing. The old man was simply stating the obvious.

'_That was basically my plan._'

"**Don't tell me you're going to run away from battle?"** Ichigo sighed. Seriously, did his alter ego think about anything else than bloodshed?

'_I never said we aren't going to fight. I just want to avoid fighting people I'd rather not see dead. But we are going to have as much fun as we can get with the level of our enemies here._'

"**It'll still be boring though, king. Why did we leave Hueco Mundo? Life would be a lot more interesting there, and you wouldn't have to worry about being found out."**

'_We left the World of the Hollows because a certain __**someone**__' _Ichigo put a strong accent on the word 'someone', making it obvious who he was talking about, '_kept telling me that life there was boring since there was no one nearly as strong as him. And we can't go to Soul Society. Besides, Nel said that some strong Hollows have been coming over here recently. I want to check it out. And I want to check out our strength too. I can hardly do that in Hueco Mundo, where you already taught every single Hollow to avoid our reiatsu at a mile's distance._'

Shirosaki didn't respond, but Ichigo could say that he was smirking. The orange haired boy couldn't help but do the same.

'_Don't worry though, Tsuchiro. We're definitely not going to be bored. If no one comes, then I'll seek out strong opponents to battle, as long as they're not someone I'd rather not kill._'

"**I like the sound of that, King. Where did that idea come from?"**

'_I just follow my instinct, that's all_' Ichigo did he know that the ability to finally follow these instincts of his was what would be more than just useful to him.

* * *

Karin looked up at the sky just in time to see a weird, black thing close and disappear. She blinked. What was that thing? And why did it have such a terrifying feeling to if, as if it led to Hell itself and brought only evil from wherever it was it led to?

The black haired girl shook her head and turned around, walking back the way she came from. She didn't feel like facing her mother and Ichigo right now. There were too many things on her mind. She needed to put her tough girl mask on again. If Ichigo saw her like this, he would definitely be worried, and Karin didn't want that. She wanted him to be happy on the other side, together with mum, without having to worry about her.

So she would go see him later. She definitely would. Just not right now. Not when her real feelings have surfaced for once. She needed to get them in check first.

* * *

Ichigo sighed as he looked at the two children bickering in front of the store, or more like the boy bullying the three years older (not that he cares about her age) girl. He was watching them for quite some time now and still didn't dare to jump down from the roof he was standing on and head into the store.

It was now that he finally started to wonder: how was he going to get Urahara to give him a gigai? The orange haired Arrancar didn't have any money with him, nor did he have the Soul-Reaper-Cell-Phone that Rukia used to pay with whenever she bought anything at Urahara's. He couldn't take it as a favor since the other man owed him (he won the war and cleaned his mess after all), but because he was dead he definitely didn't want anyone to know who he was. So simply put, he had a small problem there.

"**We could battle for it"** Shirosaki suggested and Ichigo mentally rolled his amber orbs. Frigging Hollow with his one-tracked mind.

'_And what if we make him unable to make us a gigai in the process? I know he's strong, but I don't want to risk it. Besides, that would only get Soul Society's attention quicker and we want to avoid that._'

"**We could scare him into making us one."**

'_Do you really think he's easy to get scared? Come on, he was a captain once, he doesn't get scared easily. And the try alone would probably lead to a battle. Right now, we don't need any attention. I have nothing against later, just not now. Be patient, Tsuchiro._'

They fell silent. The problem was much bigger than it would have seemed at first. How were they going to get Urahara into making them a gigai? A reiatsu concealing one at that? It wasn't a request Urahara got often, so it was likely to raise questions, especially since the man was now more of an agent of Soul Society in Karakura than a banished ex-captain. Damn.

"**Maybe we should…"** Shirosaki was abruptly interrupted as there was a sudden jolt of reiatsu behind them.

"Hey, Nel" he said to his companion who had once again transformed into an adult. Ichigo now really started to doubt her statement of being able to control the transformation. "Think you could help me out?"

She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly and he quickly explained his plan and his problems to her.

"Well, Soul Society is kinda touchy when it comes to Arrancars coming into the World of the Living. They probably know already that we're here, so I thought we should get ourselves artificial bodies, capable of concealing our reiatsu. That way, we won't be detected and it will spare us a lot of trouble while we're here. But I can't really ask Urahara for it like I usually would. I don't want him to know who I am."

"Why not?" Neliel asked bewildered. Ichigo answered with a sigh.

"You've been with me for quite a while now, Nel. Have you not noticed?" he asked.

"**That would be weird. She's an Arrancar, too. She should have noticed"** Tsuchiro shared Ichigo's opinion apparently. Well what do you know?

"Noticed what?" she asked again, her eyes full of confusion. He turned his face away, unable to face her. He didn't know why he felt so ashamed of it. Maybe because he was now nothing like he was before. He was neither human, nor Shinigami, nor Hollow or Vizard. If he was a Vizard or a Shinigami, he wouldn't have the mask on his head present all the time, nor the tattoo signifying his strength. But if he was hundred percent Espada, like Nel was, he wouldn't be able to use kidō. He wouldn't be wearing the Shinigami uniform. And, he wouldn't have Zangetsu.

Somehow, he was both, Shinigami and Hollow, yet neither at the same time. And it was that impossibility of saying what exactly he was that made him feel uneasy about admitting it. For he couldn't be ashamed about becoming partially an Espada, at least not in front of Nel. The green haired girl was an Espada too, so she would understand. If he had to admit this to Rukia, he was sure it wouldn't be this easy. That was one of the reasons why he decided not to tell her he was alive.

But back to the issue at hand…

"My reiatsu" he said quietly, not turning back to her. "Does it feel exactly the same to you as it did when we last met?"

Nel was silent for a moment. She was probably feeling him right now, intrigued by the question. He still didn't turn back.

"Now that you mention it" she said, "it does seem different than it did two years ago. What happened?"

He turned back, but didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked one of his own.

"Two years ago? Was it that long since the War?" he asked. Was he 'dead' for this long?

"Well, two years ago in the time flow of Hueco Mundo. I don't know how long it has been here. Time flows the same way in the World of the Living and Soul Society, at least that's what I heard, but differently in Hueco Mundo" she explained before she sighed. "You still didn't answer my question though, Ichigo. What happened?"

It was his turn to sigh. Why did he have to bring this topic up? Now he had no choice but to tell her… or show her.

He raised his head to look at her before pulling his cowl back a little, so that Nel could see his face, but he still kept his mask hidden from her.

"Just promise me you won't tell anyone, especially not any Soul Reapers, should you run into some" he said. Nel cocked her head to the side with a confused look on her face, but nodded nonetheless. Deciding it was enough of an answer and a promise, the carrot-top let the cowl fall off completely, the sun of Karakura Town shining at his bright orange hair and the white mask rests. He could see Nel's eyes widen as he lowered his gaze.

"Ichigo… how did that…?"

"I died in Hueco Mundo, shortly after the Winter War. Well, shortly for me anyway. It was a mission to kill Gin Ichimaru. And he killed me. But at least I took him down with me" he replied simply. There was no use in hiding it from her. He decided to let her follow… No, he decided to take her with him, so she had every right to know just who it was she was traveling with

He suddenly felt her near him as she embraced him tightly. It wasn't the same, suffocating embrace as after her fight with Nnoitora. This one was gentle, almost hesitant, but most of all, comforting. Not knowing how to react, he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo" she said into his ear and his amber eyes widened.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not like it was your fault."

"But it must have been so hard for you. You were a Shinigami, you fought the Hollows… and then you became one of them. I have no idea of what that might feel like, to become something you loathed for so long, but…"

"Gimmie a break, Nel. First of all, I was never a Shinigami, just a substitute. And second, who ever told you I loathed Hollows? Alright, fine, maybe I'm not fond of them but there are exceptions. One standing in front of me" he added with a soft smile. His companion smiled back.

He let her go and turned around, facing Urahara's shop again. He pulled his cowl back on.

"Now, back to our gigai problem…" he said. He wanted to ask her if she had any ideas but was interrupted by a loud roar and an explosion of reiatsu. It was immense. Nel stood by his side immediately.

"It's one of the Hollows I told you about" she said while scanning the area. "Those exceptionally strong ones that crossed over."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, although it was impossible to tell since his cowl hid his face entirely.

"It looks like it's coming this way" the Primera Espanda said laying a hand on Zangetsu's hilt. "I can't sense Hat-'n'-Clogs inside the shop, which means the kids are alone."

"They won't handle it on their own" Neliel said immediately gripping her own sword.

"Don't underestimate them" Ichigo calmed her. "They don't look like it, but they can take care of themselves. Still, we're going to help them out" he said with a smirk. There he had his chance for two free gigai. Talk about luck.

He stole a glance at Nel. The former Tercera Espada seemed ready to fight.

"Don't go all out" he reminded her. "We don't want the Soul Society to think we're starting another war."

"Sure" she answered as the Hollow they've been waiting for surfaced. It looked like a gigantic spider with two extra-legs with razor-sharp blades like a mantis. One of those arms was about to fall on the bickering children who seemed to finally notice the shadow above them. Ichigo mentally took back his words. They could take care of themselves… as long as the opponent didn't sneak up on them.

"Let's go" he said and they both jumped off the roof at the same time with their swords drawn.

* * *

Jinta stared as two figures suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere to stop the gigantic Hollow. One was a green haired girl, the other seemed to be a Shinigami, judging from his clothes.

The two must have been fighting together for a long time, even though the girl was definitely an Arrancar (and it was weird for a Shinigami and an Arrancar to fight side by side). Truth be told, this was their first time battling side by side. But they were friends, so they trusted each other. And because of that trust, they could fight in perfect synch, all while on extreme hold back of their reiatsu.

"From the right, Nel!" Ichigo yelled at his companion as he blocked both of the scythe-like arms with Zangetsu's blade. His Zanpakutō was still sealed, but he was not going to release it. Jinta and Ururu have both seen it enough to recognize him. He could not release it.

The former Tercera Espada didn't reply as she lunged in for an attack. In one swift swing, she made quite a deep crack in the hard hollow mask. She was then forced to use sonido to escape the incoming attack of one of the spider legs.

While the Hollow was distracted by Nel, Ichigo used the moment to jump at the height of the mask. He then finished what Nel had started by slicing the Hollow's face in two halves. The creature gave an agonizing yell as it fell to the ground beside the shop, almost crushing it.

"That was easier than I thought it would be" Ichigo said to Nel. She nodded in agreement.

"It was unnaturally strong though. And its mask was exceptionally hard to get through." she said turning to him. He nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, if you hadn't attacked him before me and cracked it, I don't think I would be able to take that thing down with one blow, at least not without releasing…" he hesitated. If he said it the wrong way, Jinta and Ururu would probably guess who he was. They weren't stupid after all.

"Without releasing my older sword" he finally finished, pointing at Zangetsu. Nel nodded in understanding.

"You should avoid releasing your sword, no matter which one. I think the reason is obvious" she stated. Funny thing was, that 'obvious reason' could be different depending on who you were. For Nel it was that Soul Society would know where they were and they'd have to fight the Soul Reapers Yamamoto would send to 'clean up', and that had to be avoided.

For Ichigo, it was that he would be recognized immediately if someone got a glimpse at Zangetsu, which had to be avoided at all costs, and releasing Demonio would be overreacting. He didn't need his Resurrección form to take down a few lousy Hollows.

"We must be careful. There's a huge possibility there will be more of them showing up. And the fact that their masks are hardly destroyable doesn't make it easier" the green haired Arrancar suddenly changed the topic.

Ichigo nodded as he rested his chin on his hand. Something wasn't right. Something about the whole situation kept bothering him.

'_Any idea as to what all of this could mean?_' he asked in his thoughts.

"**No clue, but I must admit that you're right. There's something fishy about this. It's like the time when the Arrancars started invading. Ridiculously strong and as we later found out, artificially created. Think it can be something like that?"** his inner Hollow asked. Ichigo shivered inwardly. The mere thought of the circle repeating itself again send chills down his spine.

'_I sure do hope it's not the case but we can't be sure_' he answered. Their conversation ended there as amber eyes caught a movement in their corners. The Hollow still was there? And more importantly, it wasn't dead?

"Look out, Nel!" he quickly unsheathed his sword and blocked the blow destined for the Arrancar girl before the arm disappeared below the blade. Finally, the Hollow vanished. Ichigo turned around rapidly. He had blocked the blow but he was still a tiny bit too late to do it. The deep wound on Nel's shoulder was the proof of it.

It didn't seem too serious though, she should be fine… if she hadn't fainted.

"Nel! Nel?" the ex-Shinigami cried as he caught his Arrancar friend. But what landed in his arms was not a young woman, but a seemingly defenseless child. She was still sleeping.

"_**Don't worry, Ichigo. She's fine. The wound is nothing serious, but it damaged her reiatsu flow. She won't be able to return to her adult form for a longer while now, just like after her duel when Nnoitora cracked her mask"**_ Zangetsu's deep voice calmed him down. He let out a sigh of relief.

'_That's good to know_' he said as he stood up. The sound of rushing footsteps caught his attention and he raised his head to meet a panting Tessai. Urahara soon followed, although he was not tired. He probably didn't even run.

"Ururu. Jinta. You alright?" The man with the hat asked as he eyed Ichigo suspiciously.

"We're alright, thanks to the guy over there" Jinta replied casually. "A Hollow caught us off guard and he killed it. It was an impressively big one too."

"It wasn't a problem" Ichigo replied calmly looking back at Nel. Her eyes were still closed but she was only sleeping now and it seemed like it was only a matter of minutes before she'd wake up. Her wound had closed already, probably thanks to Instant Regeneration or something of that sort.

"I still should thank you, young man" Urahara replied in a formal tone, but he still eyed him wearily. Ichigo only hoped he wasn't recognized. "If there's a way I could express my gratitude to you…"

"Actually, I'm in need of a specific pair of gigai right now" Ichigo interrupted him before the man trailed off to for him uninteresting domains of conversation. "Reiatsu concealing ones, if you have some like that." Urahara smiled.

"If it's reiatsu concealing gigai you need, then it's the perfect place you came to, my friend" he said.

* * *

"Karakura Town?" Rukia's voice was seemingly calm, but inside she was begging her captain to be joking. Unfortunately for her, Ukitake nodded.

"Yes, we received information from the twelfth division that apparently some Arrancarrs have appeared there. We can't be sure though, their reiatsu vanished shortly after being noticed by the machines. You are to go to Karakura together with the lieutenant of the sixth division, Abarai Renji, in order to investigate the matter. And should our predicament be correct, then dispose of the targets" Ukitake said calmly as he looked up at her, a sad smile on his lips and regret in his eyes. Rukia looked at him with confusion. "I'm sorry that it has to be you, Rukia. I know it must be hard for you, but unfortunately, Yamamoto insisted on you going since you know Karakura better than any other Shinigami" the white haired captain apologized. Rukia shook her head.

"It's alright, captain" she said as she bowed. "In that case I shall go and prepare to leave early tomorrow morning. Does Renji know about the mission already?"

"Indeed, I believe he does."

"Then I will not disturb you any further, captain" she said and left the office. As soon as she was outside she let out a sigh. Ukitake was right, no matter what she said it was still hard for her to return to that specific town. It just held too many painful memories.

But she wouldn't let anyone see her weakness. It was her problem to deal with, she need not bother anyone else with her pain. She only deserved it, especially after actually encouraging him to let himself be killed.

If Renji heard her thoughts right now, he would have smacked the daylights out of her due to his annoyance. Even a year after Ichigo's death, she was still blaming herself for it, even though she couldn't have done anything to prevent it. She wasn't even there when it happened!

But no matter how often he told her, she wouldn't listen.

Not that he repeated it often. Lately, he stopped talking about it altogether, as if he thought Rukia was finally over it. And while her outside mask was proof that she was perfectly fine, inside her wound was still fresh and bleeding. And the upcoming mission probably wouldn't help in healing it.

But orders were orders, so like it or hate it, Rukia had to oblige.

* * *

"Wow, that's a nice fake body. And it looks just like the real Nel, too!" the green haired Arrancar stated, admiring herself in the mirror. Truth be told, Ichigo had briefly wondered if Arrancars could enter fake bodies, but as it turned out, it looked like they could. The ex-Shinigami smiled to himself.

"She sure looks happy" he said as his once amber orbs followed the girl. Urahara had made new gigais especially for them, and it took him less than twelve hours, which impressed Ichigo to no end.

As for the looks, Nel didn't change much. Her body had the same, short, green hair, the same big, gray orbs and the same scar across her childish face. Not even the red line going over the nose and cheeks was left out, looking slightly like a tattoo. The only thing that changed was the lack of the mask and her clothes. The little girl was wearing a dark green dress that reached down to her knees, the shade matching perfectly with her brighter hair. Her small legs were covered by small, black sandals. She looked really cute in that kind of clothing.

As for Ichigo, his new body was as much like his previous one as water was like fire. Not that he complained. He was actually satisfied with what he ended up with.

He still was a teenage boy, although slightly older than his real age (of death) and he estimated himself to be around eighteen. He had a pair of piercing, ocean-blue eyes and his hair was a deep shade of brown. It was short, but not as short as his natural orange locks. It went down to his shoulders and was held back in a low pony tail. A single, curved lock lay calmly at the side of his face, above his right eye and ending on his cheek. The Primera Espada had to admit that he didn't look bad.

And his clothing wasn't bad either. Long, blue Jeans, a white shirt and a long-sleeved black jacket. Average human clothing, but to Ichigo who was wearing a plain black kimono for quite a long period of time, this simple set seemed like some king's outfit.

"**Fitting, ain't it? I mean, you ****are**** a king in a way" **Tsuchiro said quietly but Ichigo ignored him.

"Well, are those two to your liking?" he heard Urahara behind him and turned around, his trademark scowl forced away from his face. No scowling, no furrowed brows. If he managed that, there was a one percent bigger chance of not getting caught. And with Urahara every percent counted. The man might be mad, but he was not an idiot.

"Looks like it" Ichigo said as he looked back at the laughing Nel. She acted so childish right now he almost forgot that she was probably much older than him. She looked so genuinely happy right now, as if she was really a young girl who just got a new toy to play with.

"We'll be taking them" he added and Urahara nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad I could have helped" he said simply and Ichigo nodded again, before calling Nel. The girl turned around when she heard his voice and giggled at his new appearance, but made no comment about it as she lunched herself at him and hung over his shoulder. Despite what he had just told himself, Ichigo scowled.

"Are you intending on staying glued to my shoulder everywhere we go?" he asked, but there was no annoyance in his voice. Actually, he was rather amused and couldn't help but grin as the green haired girl nodded vigorously.

"Yup, Nel will be staying like that" she said happily as she made herself more comfortable on his muscular shoulder. It seemed the way his body was build was still the same as his soul was. At least that's what he thought, since he was still as muscular as always. He sighed.

"I guess we'll be going then. Thank you for your help, Urahara-san" the brown haired teen said as he made his way towards the door. Kisuke hid his face behind his fan in a mysterious way and spoke quietly, but the words struck Ichigo like thunder.

"Come back if there's anything more that you need, Kurosaki-san" the man had said and the once orange haired boy stopped dead in his tracks before slowly turning around. Kisuke was definitely not bluffing, he just knew it. Ichigo should have seen that one coming.

"You knew all along, didn't you, Mr. Hat-'n'-Clogs?" he asked, allowing himself to use the familiar nickname. Trying to deny his identity would be pointless anyway. If Urahara called him 'Kurosaki-san', it only meant that the former captain of squad twelve had his guest all figured out.

"Pretty much, yes" the other man replied with a mysterious smile as he put away his fan. "I was quite surprised though. I thought you were dead."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me. I'm dead for everyone in Soul Society as well as those involved with it" Ichigo replied bitterly as his scowl returned to his features. Somehow, the thought of being dead in everyone's mind made him said, especially if there was one special person who believed he was gone.

"Are you going to tell Kuchiki-san?" Urahara asked suddenly and Ichigo raised the brown eyebrows of his gigai. Kisuke sighed. "The news really got to her when she heard them a year ago, you know. I thought she'd be the first person you'd run to if you somehow, miraculously survived, which you did" he said in a serious tone. It was Ichigo's turn to sigh.

"A year, huh? It felt like an eternity for me over there." He didn't need to explain. Urahara probably figured where 'over there' was. He felt small fists closing over his jacket where his heart used to be. That was the height at which Nel's hands happened to be at the moment.

"Itsygo" the child said quietly with a sad look in her eyes and the ex-Shinigami looked away. He didn't need to be reminded.

"I can't tell her" he finally forced himself to answer Urahara's question but he didn't meet the man's eyes. "In fact, I wasn't planning on telling anyone. Not when I know what I am."

Uarahara had a questioning expression on his face, but the Primera Espada ignored it as he finally looked up, a pleading look in his eyes. It wasn't normal for him to beg, but the situation demanded it, so he'd swallow his pride and just do it.

"Please, Urahara-san. Please, don't tell anyone you met me, especially not Rukia. Please" he kept his gaze locked with the so much older man who let out a sigh of defeat.

"Don't worry, I will not tell anyone" he finally said and Ichigo bowed his thanks. When he turned to leave, Nel hanging over his shoulder like Yachiru hang over Kenpach's, Kisuke stopped him again.

"Do you have a place to stay at, Kurosaki-san?" the man asked and Ichigo looked over his shoulder with raised eyebrows, silently asking the man to continue. Surely it was a rhetorical question. He didn't wait long. "If you want, we still have some space here."

"Thanks, Mr. Hat-'n'-Clogs, but I'll be fine. I'll find myself something. Wouldn't want to bother you" he said with a small smile on his lips. Urahara looked almost disappointed and suddenly Ichigo felt happy that he denied.

"I see. Well then, take this with you, Kurosaki-san. It might come in handy" he said and tossed something towards Ichigo, who caught it effortlessly.

"**A bracelet?"** he heard Shirosaki's surprised voice. **"How could it come in handy? It's just a bracelet. It doesn't even look cool."**

But Ichigo knew better. He noticed the tiny mouths on the inside of the bracelet, which was about five centimeters long. It would be covering at least one third of his forearm, starting at his wrist and going down in the direction of his elbow. The number of the hungry mouths was at around twenty if not some more. It was a reiatsu eating device, much like Kenpach's eye patch, only that it would definitely eat away more reiatsu than Kenpachi's eye patch did. Ichigo chuckled inwardly as he put it on, feeling its work immediately. If he ever met someone stronger than a Third Seat, he'd have to remember to take it off. It did quite a number on him, but he knew it was for the best. One more way to conceal his reiatsu.

"Thanks a lot, Urahara-san" he said as he walked off into town. Now that he had a gigai, he should start worrying about where to stay. He could hardly see himself sleeping on the streets.

That's when he felt it, and he was sure Nel did too. He didn't need to ask as she pointed to his left.

"Nel can sense it. This way, Itsygo" the young Arrancar said and the former Soul Reaper ran off in the direction she showed, grateful that Urahara had the idea to stuck a Soul Candy into one of the pockets of his gigai. It would probably prove quite useful.

* * *

Karin stopped dead in her tracks a she heard a terrifying howl that no one else seemed to notice. She had descended from the hill leading to the graveyard and was now back in town, but suddenly she wished she hadn't come there. The howl definitely wasn't a good sign.

She heard it again, this time sure it was somewhere in the direction she was going to. Soon enough, a white, dragon-like head turned around the corner and stared right at her. No one seemed to see it as they walked casually beside it, but Karin wasn't surprised by that. Not many people could see Hollows.

As its yellow-golden eyes focused on her, the monster let out another howl, this time a hungry one as it started to make its way towards her.

The black haired girl briefly noticed that the monster was about ten meters long and three meters high, with his body resembling a dragon out of a fairy tale, except that it didn't have wings. Instead, it hat dangerously sharp-looking, long spikes at the end of its tail. But Karin didn't take much time to admire the fairy-tale-looking beast in front of her and simply turned around and ran as fast as her feet could carry her. The fact that the footsteps of the monster behind her seemed to be getting closer and it's howls louder didn't help at all, nor did the fact that the street was now pretty much crowded. It was the time of day when people finished their jobs, so she shouldn't be surprised, but she really thought that they chose a bad moment to block her way.

Luckily, she somehow managed to outrun the Hollow until she got to the empty soccer field where she used to play with her friends. She had stopped playing a year ago. Somehow, the sport just lost all its shine in her eyes. Maybe it was due to the fact that her brother wasn't there anymore to cheer for her and to teach her useful tricks?

Karin shook her head to shake these thoughts off and was about to resume her running when suddenly she was grabbed from behind and lifted from the ground effortlessly. The hand that grabbed her was humongous and as it closed tighter around her, as if making sure she wouldn't escape, the wind got knocked out of her. She didn't have to look around to know what had caught her, but she still did, meeting a pair of yellow-gold eyes behind a terrifying, white mask.

_Well, well, aren't you smelling delicious? This must be my lucky day._

She heard the beast say and her eyes widened, although she knew from the beginning what would happen if she got caught, it was now that the realization hit her full force. She was just twelve, damn it. She didn't want to die!

But realizing that there was just nothing she could do about it, she did the only thing she could, hoping against hope that someone will hear her. Someone capable of helping.

She screamed.

Next thing she knew, a red orb had met with the monster's arm and exploded right there. Yelping in pain, the Hollow let her go and she shut her eyes as she waited for her body to crush against the ground. But instead, she felt a pair of gentle arms catching her.

She opened her eyes and saw a boy not much older than herself, probably eighteen or something around that, with brown locks and piercing, ocean-blue eyes. He was looking up at the monster and jumped back with impressive reflex as the Hollow tried to crush him. He stopped a few meters away where he gently placed Karin on the ground.

"Take care of her, Nel" he said simply as he swallowed a green pill. Karin's eyes widened as she saw a person in a black kimono and white cloak jump out of his body the moment he swallowed the pillow. She couldn't make out his face, because it was hidden by a white cowl attached to the cloak. A sword was attached to his side and a second was on his back.

"Right" a green haired young girl said as she hopped down from the body's shoulder. The body itself was still standing, although the calm look disappeared from its face, replaced by a hard look of a person ready to fight if needed. It didn't say anything though.

The hooded person didn't say anything either as he (at least Karin assumed it was a he) launched himself at the beast. He dodged its attacks effortlessly as it tried to crush him and jumped up towards his face. Once he was higher than that, he reached for the blade on his back and unsheathed it, crashing it against the monster's mask with all his might.

To Ichigo's surprise, al he did was a small crack. That mask was really a hard thing to get through and the fact that he was using the absolute minimum of his strength wasn't helping. But he couldn't take the bracelet off. If he did that, there was quite a good chance that his reiatsu would attract even more Hollows. No, his opponents immense spiritual pressure was enough of a bait, thank you very much. He didn't need to add his own to it. He had to beat it on maximal holdback.

His eyes widened when he noticed that the Hollow was about to fire a Cero at him. He shunpō-ed away, avoiding the hit in the last second, and reappeared behind the monster, standing on its head. He then started speaking words that just came to his mind, like he was when he fought Tsuchiro. He was just following his instinct again.

"**I wonder what kind of kidō it will be, king"** his other self said in an interested tone, but Ichigo ignored him as he began the incantation.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" he quickly sheathed Zangetsu to have both his hands free, as the kidō was more powerful when fired from both palms, and jumped backwards and off of the Hollows head. It turned around to face him and Ichigo couldn't help but smirk. The beast had fallen right into his trap.

"Hadō sixty-three! Raikōhō!" he yelled as a beam of yellow energy that looked like thunder shot from his hands and hit the monster in the face. But Ichigo didn't wais time as he grabbed Zangetsu again, just in case. He wasn't foolish enough as to think that his one lousy spell finished the Hollow off. After all, he was just getting used to casting kidō, and the fact that his reiatsu was being majorly eaten away was not helping. As it was, he was sure the spell wasn't strong enough to finish the fight, and he wasn't wrong. Soon enough, Zangetsu was blocking another Cero. Ichigo cursed as he stood his ground, using the spirit particles in the air to find a footing. If he didn't, he would have been blown away.

He stood his ground firmly as he blocked the attack. Surely, the hollow couldn't be firing it forever.

But as he soon found out, he wasn't patient enough to let his opponent run out of energy. Instead, he used shunpō to get below his opponents face. As soon as the hollow noticed this, his Cero broke up and he looked down on Ichigo, revealing and almost cracked mask. The spell had actually almost finished it, almost being the key word.

'_I need to do some kidō training_' Ichigo thought to himself as he used the air as footing again and jumped towards his opponent.

"**I agree with that, king. I agree with that"** Shirosaki's voice reached his mind as Zangetsu slashed the Hollows face in two from the chin up to the forehead. Ichigo didn't answer as he landed on the ground, the Hollow behind him disappearing, and turned to his sister, Nel and the Soul Candy soul.

* * *

Renji and Rukia jumped quickly from one roof to the next as they crossed Karakura Town, heading for the place where they sensed the strong reiatsu. There was a battle going on, they knew that much, and since there was an Arrancar alarm in the town, they had all the right to believe that someone stumbled upon said Arrancars.

Rukia tried her best to stay focused and to keep her mask on, which proved to be way harder than she expected. But that shouldn't be a surprise. After all, she was in _his_ hometown. The town where she had meat _him_. The town she spend almost all her time in the World of the Living in. The town in which every corner and every building wore the memories of _him_ and the time they spend together.

Rukia shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. Now was not the time to be nostalgic. She was on a mission and she was probably about to commence a fight. She couldn't allow herself to be daydreaming now.

Suddenly a bright yellow light, almost like lightning caught her attention. Renji noticed it too, but he had a pretty much clueless expression on his face. No wonder. He never was good at kidō. Neither at casting it, nor at recognizing it.

"What was that?" the red haired lieutenant of the sixth squad asked. Rukia forced herself not to roll her eyes at his stupidity.

"That looked like Raikōhō, number sixty-three of the Destruction Spells" she said as she sped up, Renji keeping up with her with ease. "Whoever is fighting these Arrancars must be a strong Soul Reaper. But if there is someone that strong, why send us here?"

Renji didn't answer as they both sped up even more as they saw a red light that looked suspiciously like a Cero. It was probably repelled though, as nothing got destroyed yet. And suddenly, it disappeared, as did the reiatsu of the fight. Both of them cursed and started running as fast as their feet could carry them. They had to hurry if they wanted to get anything out to report. It wouldn't do if they got there and the Arrancar was dead and his killer gone.

* * *

Ichigo knelt down in front of his sister as he offered her a hand to stand up. She took it, albeit hesitantly, and lifted herself from the ground with his help.

"Are you alright?" he asked, forcing himself not to add 'Karin' at the end of the sentence. It was enough that Nel knew the truth and Urahara half of it, he didn't need his sister to know as well. He would be more careful from now on. Two people knowing was more than enough.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me" she said, the emotionless expression he knew so well plastered onto her face. He was glad, although with his face hidden, Karin could never tell.

"I'm Karin Kurosaki by the way. Who are you two? Or should I say three?" she added, looking at Ichigo's gigai that was occupied by the artificial soul at the moment. The brown haired body turned his head and 'che-ed' simply. Ichigo took it that he wasn't exactly the social type of soul and he was glad. At least he wouldn't have the same problems he had with Kon while he left this guy inside his body.

"Nel's Nel. Nel's glad Nel gets to meet Karin" the green haired girl said happily, holding a hand towards her. Karin felt like laughing among hearing this way of speaking, but hey, how old could the girl be? Three? Four? No wonder she spoke in the third person of herself. Children tend to do that.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, Nel" she spoke as she shook the younger (?) girls hand.

Ichigo hesitated for a moment. He could hardly tell her his real name. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

'_You don't mind, do you?_' he asked in his thoughts and heard Shirosaki sigh.

"**Even if I did, you'd still do it. Go ahead, I don't care. You can hardly tell her your real name anyway, king."**

Ichigo smiled as Karin turned to him and outstretched his hand towards his sister again, this time as a greeting.

"My name is Tsuchiro Shirosaki. And the one currently inside my body is Nigaru*, an artificial soul" he didn't know why he told her that he was artificial, but he thought it was fine. She knew about the Shinigami after all, so something like that wouldn't surprise her, right?

As expected, she didn't seem surprised at all.

"It's nice to meet you, Kurosaki-chan" he added quickly as she took his hand. It felt weird do address his sister in such a formal way, but he just thought that would help him keep his act up.

"The pleasure is all mine, Shirosaki-san" his sister replied before eyeing him from head to toe. "You're a Soul Reaper, aren't you? I can tell by the kimono you're wearing" she said suddenly in a bitter voice. Ichigo shook his head.

"No, I'm no Soul Reaper. I may be dressed like one, but I'm not" he said quietly. Karin raised an eyebrow.

"You're still not from our world. I mean, you're a spirit, right? You don't live here normally." He could only nod to her statement, feeling like his voice was failing him. "Do you have a place to stay at?"

"No, not yet. Why do you ask?" he asked, feeling utterly confused. His confusion actually rose when she cracked a small smile at him.

"Why don't you stay at my place then? I'm sure my dad and my sister won't mind" she answered his question with one of her own. Ichigo was taken aback. He couldn't possibly agree to that. Not that he didn't want to be with his family, but that would just be…

"Thanks for the offer, but no thank you, Kurosaki-chan" he said. "I wouldn't want to bother you."

"You wouldn't be bothering us at all. Like I said, my dad and sister won't mind. And by the way, my name is Karin, call me just that" she didn't know why she offered him to stay at her house, nor why she didn't like the sound of him calling her by her surname. But there was something about him that made all the actions natural. As if she knew him and it was completely normal for him to stay over, or call her by her given name.

"Tsutsyro" Nel said (carefully reminding herself to use his fake name as to not blow their cover) "please, Nel wants to stay at Karin's place. Please."

Ichigo shot her a glare, although she couldn't see it, because his eyes were hidden by his cowl. He let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright, alright, you win, Nel" he said finally as Nel started who-hooing and dancing around in her happiness. Ichigo turned to Karin and smiled, although his cowl hid that as well.

"By the way, it's not 'Shirosaki-san' to you, Karin. I told you, my name's Tsuchiro."

She nodded her head and was about to tell them to follow her in order to get to her home when Ichigo suddenly spun around feeling a painfully familiar reiatsu approaching. Nel stopped her dancing and looked the same way, while Karin just stood where she was and stared at the newcomers, anger filling her eyes at the sight of the female one.

Ichigo held his breath as he saw the both of them, recognizing them immediately. In front of him was his best friend among the Shinigami, Renji Abarai, and the girl he loved and who hurt him more than anyone ever has, Kuchiki Rukia. Not that he was mad at her. He never held a grudge against her in the first place, it was only a misunderstanding. But it hurt to know that he could never see her again like he used to. That he had to play dead in her eyes.

Renji and Rukia glanced wearily at the four people in front of them. One was Karin Kurosaki, Ichigo's younger sister. Rukia shivered inwardly as their gazes locked but maintained her mask perfectly, playing as if nothing was wrong.

Then there was a brown haired boy at the age of eighteen, they assumed. He was quiet and seemed not even able to see them. And if he did, he didn't seem surprised, afraid or anything of the sort. He was just angry, if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.

The third person was little girl that looked not older than three or four, with short green hair and grey eyes. Both Rukia and Renji had a feeling that they knew her, but were unable to tell where the feeling came from. It was the first time they saw this child after all. She seemed to be able to see them as well, and she seemed to be surprised that they came. That was weird, but it wasn't what cried for their attention the most.

No, the most striking thing about the group was the last person present there. The two lieutenants guessed that he was male, but couldn't say for sure as his face was hidden beneath a white cowl. He had a long sword on his back and over his white coat and a second, albeit smaller one, at his side. Besides the white cloak, he was wearing a black kimono: the Shinigami uniform. Did that mean that he was a Soul Reaper? If he was, was he the one who defeated the Arrancar?

No that couldn't be. Hs reiatsu was way too low to even stand a chance against an Arrancar. He didn't even seem to have the strength of a seated officer, so it couldn't have been him. Except if he was extremely good at hiding his reiatsu; that was also possible. Besides, the others didn't have any weapons, so if he didn't do it, who did?

"Who are you?" Renji finally asked as he and Rukia laid their hands on their Zanpakutō, ready to strike should they be attacked. It was Karin who responded.

"You know who I am, so I don't see why I should say it again. At least the girl knows me for sure, so she can tell you my name. And as for my friends, it's none of your damn business, so get lost" her voice was cold, almost menacing. She didn't wait for the Shinigami to answer as she turned around and walked off.

"Come on, it's no use wasting your breath on them. Let's get going" she said to the others. Nigaru and Nel followed her immediately. Ichigo stared at Rukia for a while longer before tearing his eyes away and following his sister. Judging from her voice, she was mad, and he suspected it was because Rukia was the one who brought the news of his 'death' to his family (he just had a feeling they knew, and he trusted his gut). It was best not to aggravate her further. Besides, what good would it do if he stayed? He would only torture himself that way. He could not tell Rukia who he was after all. He didn't want to cause her anymore pain.

Rukia just stared after the retreating group, he lips forming a thin line. Like hell she was going to let them go like that. She wanted answers, and they were going to give them to her, so that she could leave the goddamned town already.

Without thinking, he shot one of her hands forward and started whispering to herself, careful not to let the group hear her. She knew exactly whom she'd restrain and force to stay longer. It would be the most suspicious one, the hooded person.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!**" she whispered to herself, concentrating on her target. Unfortunately for her, Ichigo noticed how she built up her reiatsu and he reacted on pure instinct, yet again. All he did was move his hand towards her, and whisper a few words she didn't catch. Before she could even prepare to call out the name of the spell she was going to use, she was pinned to the ground by a bunch of heavy iron pillars.

Enraged, she glared at where the mysterious person should be, but he was already gone, and so were Karin and the two others.

"The bastard used shunpō" Renji said in disbelief, answering her unasked question.

* * *

*** Nigaru – the name of the soul from the Soul Candy Ichigo will be using from now on. As you probably figured already, I thought it up. It literally means 'to scowl' in Japanese. I thought the name would fit his personality, as Nigaru has a permanent scowl on his face (just like Ichigo) and is extremely anti-social. He speaks only when he really needs to, but he'll obey his master, in this case Ichigo who'll be borrowing him his body/gigai, no matter what might be asked of him.**

**** Just so you know, I am aware of the fact that Rukia is able to cast that kidō (n° 61 of the biding spells, for those who didn't recognize it) without the incantation. But I thought that Rukia might want to be sure her spell will work on someone who has seemingly very low reiatsu, but probably defeated an Arrancar on his own (that's what she thinks after all), so she whispered the incantation to strengthen the spell. And no, I won't be writing the incantation every time I make someone use kidō.**

**Alright, chapter four is over. And wow, fifteen pages of the chapter only! Wow, that's one of the longest I've ever written XD Well, I hope I can keep the length the way it is for the upcoming chapters, except if you think that's too long… Please, tell me what you think. Your opinion really matters to me, so don't hold back. I even accept flames as long as you're honest with me!**

**So please, review!**


	5. Ichigo & Shirosaki: The Act Falls Apart

**Well, here I am with another chapter. I hope it'll be to your liking. I'll only say that I'm sorry it took so long to update. Please forgive me. I hope you'll enjoy.**

**Alright, I'll better stop blabbing now, huh? On with the story :3**

**Reader's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its amazing characters. It's also better that way, seeing as I would completely ruin it.**_

**As always, special thanks to **_**romancejunky**_** for beta-ing.**

* * *

_Chapter 5 – Ichigo & Shirosaki: The act falls apart_

Ichigo lay on his old bed in his old room in his old house but he definitely wasn't in his old body. If Yuzu or Karin walked in right now, they would have seen the newcomer to their household and Karin's new friend, as she introduced him, Tsuchiro Shirosaki.

Ichigo sighed as he turned in his bed again and again, trying to finally fall asleep, but found it an impossible task to accomplish. And that was because of a certain raven haired Shinigami.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get Rukia's face out of his mind. The expression she had when he last saw her, right here in Karakura a few hours ago.

At a first glance, she seemed alright. Like the Rukia he knew. The strong willed girl with an equally strong body who never let anything get to her. When he looked at her face, she looked like she hasn't changed at all, either because she moved on or because she pretended he never existed and didn't even ever grieve for him.

But Ichigo knew better than that. He knew that despite what she wanted everyone to think, she was not ok. She had a tough exterior, but inside her soul was crushed to tiny little pieces. She might hide her feelings behind the cold Kuchiki mask, but her eyes were always open doors for Ichigo. It was through her eyes that he always knew when something was wrong, when she was worried, when she was sad. This time wasn't any different. It was her eyes that told him everything.

They told him of the pain she was going through, as well as of the pain she had already undergone. She was hiding it perfectly from anyone else, or at least Renji didn't seem to notice anything. But Ichigo knew she was in pain. She was still grieving. She was still mourning. It seemed that one year wasn't enough for her to move on.

Ichigo bit his lip. There was also another emotion in her eyes besides the grief and the pain and he just couldn't understand why it was there. The emotion he saw… it was guilt.

But why would she feel guilty? Why would she blame herself?

Somehow, Ichigo just knew that all the emotions that these violet orbs shared with him had to do with him and this town. She was in pain because of the familiar surroundings and the painful memories the town brought up with every building. She was still grieving because she thought he was dead and was unable to let him go. And she felt guilty probably because she blamed herself for his death.

'_Rukia, you stupid fool_' Ichigo thought to himself. What had happened was not her fault, so why was she blaming herself? Why was she guilty? Ichigo just couldn't understand it. But seeing all these emotions, stirred up inside her and not allowed to get out… Seeing all of this and knowing it was all because of him… because he had 'died'… it pained him. It pained him to know that Rukia was hurting so much because of him. And he hated himself for making her suffer.

At some point, he even thought of telling her that he was alive, but he quickly dismissed that thought. It would only cause his loved one more suffering, he was sure of it. Because he was back… and yet he wasn't completely himself anymore. He wasn't the same and he knew he never would be. He knew he couldn't return to her. Her place was in Soul Society. His was in Hueco Mundo. No matter how much he or she wished for it, they couldn't be together. So telling her he was alive would only make her hurt more. To know that the one you love is alive… and that you're deprived of ever meeting him again… Ichigo didn't want Rukia to go through that kind of despair. But, he didn't want her to grief over his 'death' and never let go either. He wanted her to remember him, but he also wanted her to move on. He wanted her to be happy.

"I want you to finally move on, Rukia" he said to the shadows, knowing that she would not hear him. He didn't even know where she was now, although he had a feeling that she stayed at Urahara's. Where else could she be? The ex-Shinigami only hoped that the former captain wouldn't go back on his promise.

"I want you to move on and be happy. I want you to smile again, Rukia" he said in a mere whisper before he closed his eyes, Rukia's 'masked' face and the eyes full of emotion still visible in front of his eyelids.

* * *

"Are you sure it was a good idea to let Shirosaki-san in Onii-chan's room?" Yuzu finally managed to choke out. Isshin wasn't at home when Karin returned, and he still wasn't. He said he would come home really late tonight, but Yuzu decided to wait for him with dinner nonetheless. Karin and Ichigo didn't mind though. The black haired girl watched TV, while her friend closed himself off in his 'new' room.

"Why wouldn't it be? It's not like Ichi-nii's here to complain about it" Karin answered drily, ignoring the look the chestnut-haired girl was giving her.

"Karin-chan…" she started, but didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as her own sobs interrupted her. Her twin sighed.

"Look, Yuzu, it won't help if you keep crying about it. What has happened, happened, period. It's not like crying will change anything. Besides, do you think Ichi-nii would _want_ you to act like that?" she snapped. She hated it when her twin acted this way, hated it when the other girl was vulnerable, absolutely hated it. That was something she had in common with Ichigo, she knew that. Only that he tried to do something about it when he saw Yuzu cry, why she had absolutely no idea how to act.

"I… know you're… you're right… Ka-Karin… But I… I just ca-can't…" Yuzu said between sobs before breaking down completely. Karin's eyes widened. She never knew how to react in this kind of situation. She saw Yuzu cry before, mostly in front of Masaki's and Ichigo's grave, but the girl never broke down completely like that, at least not in front of her. She started only once the last carrot-top of their household was added to the list of the dead.

"Yuzu…" she said in a soft voice, but stopped there. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to act? Damn, she was never good at this. Ichigo always knew how to act in these moments, even though no one would think him capable of doing it. Still, this was her brother's realm, not hers. So what was she supposed to do now?

* * *

Ichigo's 'nap' was cut short when he felt Yuzu's reiatsu change abruptly. He was surprised at first that he could feel reiatsu as weak as hers, but he got used to it now. And he had to admit, it did come in handy.

He quickly stood up and headed for the door, going downstairs immediately. He wasn't even in the middle of the stairs when he heard the sobs. As he thought she would, Yuzu was crying, for whatever reason. Acting more after his brotherly instinct than after his mind, he went down completely. He heard a bit of the conversation between his two sisters.

"…But I… I just ca-can't…" Yuzu didn't say more as apparently she broke down completely. Ichigo felt something akin to a cold hand closing over his heart, freezing it. He hated to see his sister cry, especially if he was the cause of it. And something in his gut told him that this time it _definitely_ was because of him.

"Yuzu…" he heard Karin say in a defeated tone. The black haired girl probably didn't know how to act and the once brown-eyed boy didn't blame her. She never seemed to know how to act in this kind of situation. Truth be told he didn't really either, at least not with just anyone. But his sister was an exception. He knew how to comfort her, no matter what it was that made her cry. He had learnt that since their mother wasn't there to calm her down, and he didn't trust his dad to take over that responsibility.

When he entered the kitchen, his ocean-blue eyes immediately wandered to the crying Yuzu and his gaze softened. It had been a long time since he'd seen her have such a break down. Heck, it was the first time he'd seen her during such a break down at all! He never knew something could make her feel this bad, but he knew that whoever or whatever it was, he would make sure it would never hurt her again. He hated to see his sister cry, just as much as he hated to see Rukia cry.

Ignoring Karin's surprised stare, he went over to the chest-nut haired girl and kneeled down next to her.

"Yuzu-chan" he said softly and she turned to meet his eyes. She was still hiccupping and tears poured continuously from her hazel orbs making them red and puffy. He couldn't stand the sight. He hated to see her cry.

So he did what he always did when he saw her in this state. He reached out his arms and pulled her into a warm embrace, bringing her trembling form against his chest.

"Shi-Shirosaki-san" he heard her say between her sobs.

"Shhh" he silenced her. "It's alright. Just let it all out" he told her and she listened, like he hoped she would. The chest-nut haired girl gripped his shirt tightly as if her life depended on it and let her tears fall freely. Karin only stared bewildered, not being able to help but to think that the scene looked somewhat familiar. If the person hugging Yuzu only had spiky, orange hair instead of the middle-long, brown locks, it would be just like she remembered.

She shook her head to shake these thoughts off. She couldn't break down as well. She had to be strong. She was tough, right? She could handle it, just like she handled their mother's death. She didn't want to worry anyone after all. So she would definitely not cry. Not now, not ever.

"It's… It's not fair…" Yuzu finally choked out between sobs and hiccups. Ichigo send her a questioning look with his ocean-blue eyes but didn't say anything, deciding that it was better to let her cry and speak. To let it all out, like he told her to. So he just tightened his grip on her and didn't say a word, deciding to listen to her, if she decided to say more. She did.

"It's just… not fair! First… First mum and now… now Onii-chan! It's not… fa-fair! Why did he… why did he ha-have to d-die t-too? Wh-why?" the chestnut-haired girl cried into his shirt and Ichigo felt like killing himself again. He was right, she did cry because of him. God only knew how he hated his own guts right now.

Shaking the thoughts of, he gently started rubbing his sister's back in a soothing manner. It seemed to work as her sobs quieted down and her trembling stopped. The chestnut haired girl also loosened her grip on his shirt, her eyes flying open in disbelief.

It felt just like when Ichigo calmed her down whenever she needed it. Whenever she was in need of a shoulder to cry on, her older brother would be there, listen to her and hug her while rubbing her back to calm her down. He was always there until last year when he left all three of them, her, Karin and their dad for good. And yet it felt like he was right there again.

The young girl couldn't help but cuddle deeper into his well-build chest and gripping his shirt again.

"Onii-chan" she whispered contently, closing her eyes again.

Ichigo froze, even if only for a second as he forced himself to stay cool. There was no way Yuzu recognized him just because of the familiar gesture… right? No way, she couldn't have!

"What did you say, Yuzu-chan?" he asked kindly, as if he hadn't heard her. His younger sister loosened her grip on his shirt and forced herself out of his embrace. He didn't stop her, but let his arms on her shoulders. "Yuzu-chan?" he asked in a concerned tone. She looked up at him with a sad smile.

"I'm fine now, Shirosaki-san. It just that… your gesture reminded me of my… our brother" she corrected herself quickly. Ichigo almost let out a sigh of relief. Good, she did not have the idea that he might actually _be_ her brother.

"I see" he answered, avoiding the topic. He didn't want to cause his sisters pain, and as someone who was supposed to barely know them, it was none of his business where their brother was right now.

"Anyway, dad should come back any minute now. I should better get back to cooking" the 'older' twin said and Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her. She was really amazing. One minute she was broken and crying, the next she was as cheerful as she could possibly be. Sometimes he envied her for that ability, because he felt that she wasn't hiding her feelings. She was simply letting them go. It was something he was never able to do, but he wished he was.

"Want me to help, Yuzu-chan?" he asked kindly as he stood up from his kneeling position. The chestnut-haired girl shook her head vigorously.

"Oh no, it's alright, thank you. Really, it's fine, Shirosaki-san" she said with a smile. He sighed at her formality.

"Yuzu-chan, if I'm allowed to call you by your given name, then you should have that same privilege with me. Please, call me Tsuchiro" that neither he nor Nel had even one slip on his name up until now was a real wonder. He only hoped that he could keep it up.

Yuzu smiled at him and nodded her agreement. She still refused to let him help her in the kitchen though. Oh well, he had to live with it. It's not like he helped much when he was 'alive'. But right now, he had a feeling he should have. Shaking the depressing thoughts of, the once orange haired boy suppressed a sigh. '_What's done is done_' he repeated himself once more.

"Hey, Tsuchiro, where's Nel? I haven't seen her since we came home" Karin suddenly reminded him of her existence. She had long since gotten back to watching TV once she noticed that he was perfectly capable of calming Yuzu down. There was no point in staring while he was at it. The black haired girl decided to just leave them be and thought of it as a wise decision.

"She's sleeping already" he lied smoothly. For his sisters, Nel was a girl of four, maybe five years, so it was natural for her to be sleeping right now. He could hardly tell his sisters that she was keeping watch on the roof, making sure that no other Hollows attacked… and that Rukia and Renji didn't decide to pay a not awaited visit. Although personally, he doubted they would. They didn't really have a reason to after all.

"**You sure about that one, King? How about them knowing that a rather suspicious person lives in this very house? They probably figured out that much when we left with Karin"** his inner Hollow said and Ichigo frowned.

'_You got a point there_' he admitted. He hated it when his other self pointed out something he overlooked, but even that could prove helpful, so he just swallowed his pride the few times it happened. '_Still, if they didn't come up until now, why should they show up at all? At least for today. They need their rest too.'_

"**Hmmm. True enough"** it was Tsuchiro's turn to agree and the ex-Shinigami could tell that his mirror image did not enjoy this.

Their mental conversation was interrupted with the opening of the entry door and an all-too-familiar person entering the house.

"Yuzu! Karin! Daddy's baaaaack" he could hear from the entry and almost scowled in annoyance. His old man hasn't changed a bit.

"Hi dad. You're right on. Dinner's ready" Yuzu sang in reply. From the corner of his eye, Ichigo could see Karin's brow twitching before she sighed and walked up to him.

"Just ignore him" she said. "He's just an old pervert with the mind of a five-year-old. Nothing worth mentioning." Judging from Isshin's answer, he heard perfectly well what Karin just said. He burst out in tears and ran over to the living room where Masaki's poster was. Ichigo had to hold his hands behind his back to stop himself from doing a so-called face palm. How come he didn't notice that _other_ poster right next to Masaki's? And _Kami*_ did he feel like killing his father for it. Too bad he couldn't do it.

"Oh Masaki, my dear Masaki, what have I done wrong? Our daughters are so cruel to me! Ichigo, what should I do to make them respect me like they used to?" he added, addressing the _other_ poster. The one that represented a _grinning_ (**grinning**, for God's sake!), orange-haired boy with amber eyes. The words 'Ichigo **yoyokagirinaku**' written in big, **_**pink**_**, bold letters under the boy clearly visible. The background was yellow with small, blue flowers scattered across the image***.** Ichigo felt his blood boil, but forced himself to keep a calm mask. He wasn't Ichigo right now, so he had to wait for some other time before killing his father.

"What is he doing?" he asked instead, acting surprised and raising an eyebrow for better effect. Karin just face palmed herself, just like he wanted to.

"He's freaking out again" she answered in an annoyed tone before going over to her father and kicking him in the head. Hard. "SHUT UP ALREADY YOU STUPID OLD GOAT! YOU'RE FREAKING OUR GUEST OUT!" she yelled at him.

'_He'd need to do more than that to freak me out_' Ichigo thought but kept quiet. At the mention of 'guest', his dad calmed down instantly and looked around curiously. When their gazes met though, Ichigo felt a slight chill run up his spine. Why did he feel so… exposed all of a sudden?

Isshin narrowed his eyes at the sight of the brown haired boy in front of him. He didn't know why, but something felt oddly familiar about him. It wasn't his looks or behavior though. It was his reiatsu that caught the man's attention, but he was unable to say where he felt it before or who it could possibly belong to.

"It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Shirosaki Tsuchiro, a friend of Karin's" Ichigo said while bowing ever so slightly, trying to act as much un-Ichigo-like as he could. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that Isshin saw right through his disguise. And that was the last thing he needed.

Ichigo's fathers features softened and he tried to get rid of the thoughts clouding his mind. It had to be his imagination, and if not, then he would figure it out… someday… maybe.

* * *

Rukia sighed as she lay on her futon in the room Urahara gave her. Renji was in another one. She objected at first, saying that she didn't mind sharing a room with her partner, but she had to admit that she felt kind of relieved when Urahara boldly refused. She didn't understand what he meant by 'I don't want to give a certain person a reason to kill me' though. The man was one big mystery to her.

As for herself, she felt relieved that she had a room for herself because of her mask. There was nothing she could do against it, it always disappeared during the night, due to the constant nightmares that kept haunting her since that day. She wasn't scared of them anymore though. She was used to them, to the point that she didn't even wake up in the night anymore.

Still, no matter what she did, she always woke up with wet cheeks and slightly red eyes. She just couldn't stop herself from crying in her sleep, no matter what she did. And that was why she was glad her red haired friend was in another room. If he noticed the raven haired Shinigami was crying, he would be concerned and ask her what was wrong. And she did not want to bother him with such trivial matters, especially not on a mission that seemed to be a tad more difficult than expected.

Sighing once more, the new lieutenant of the thirteenth division closed her eyes and entered the world of nightmares, full of fighting, screams, blood, tears and a certain orange haired boy.

* * *

Ichigo looked up at the sky for a brief moment before concentrating again on the game. He had started to play football with Karin the second day of his time-spending in Karakura, at least when he didn't have other things to do.

It has now been two full months since his arrival from Hueco Mundo and aside from killing a bunch of Hollows nothing extraordinary happened. Sometimes after a fight he crossed paths with Rukia, Renji or both, but managed somehow to avoid battling them, so there was no problem. Well, except for that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that just wouldn't leave him alone for quite some time now. He felt like it was time to have a 'strategy meeting' with Nel. Things seemed weird somehow…

"You're quite good for someone who isn't really from this world, you know?" Karin's voice interrupted his thoughts as she sent the ball flying at him. He stopped it with his chest effortlessly and kicked it back to her, to which she responded with a head-pass.

"I told you before, I used to play this game when I was alive" he answered as he started to play with the ball, kicking it into the air with his legs and not allowing it to touch the ground even once. "I might not be from this world now, but I used to live here too" that wasn't even a lie, but he didn't have to lie about that. Karin knew about Soul Reapers and ghosts. She even knew that Ichigo himself was a Shinigami. So there was no reason to hide from her the fact that he was actually dead.

"I still don't get it though. Yuzu shouldn't be able to see ghosts, but she can definitely see you. How come?" the black haired girl grew tired of waiting and tried to steal the ball from him. He smirked and kept it away from her. However, after a few minutes of successfully avoiding her, the ball switched masters. It was Karin's turn to smirk.

"I'm using a fake body" he simply told her as he approached and tried to get the ball away from her. She raised an eyebrow.

"A fake body?" she asked, not understanding what he meant. She kicked the ball hard then, to avoid him taking it away. Said ball bounced off the wall and ended up in his power nevertheless. The black haired girl cursed under her breath.

"Basically, it's an artificial body. It works like any other human body, with the heartbeat, blood flow cycle and such, but it was made artificially. I don't really know how it works though. All I know is that I'm able to enter and exit it at will, which I wouldn't be able to do with a real body" he said as he started to keep the ball out of her reach by bouncing it off his head. She had an annoyed look on her face as she had no idea how to get it away from him without hurting him physically.

"If you can enter and exit it at will, why do you always use that candy-like thing when you begin to fight?" she asked, genuinely curious now. He let the ball fall to the ground and passed it to her. She stopped it easily and started to bounce it off her head, just like he did before.

"How do you think would other people react if they found an unconscious boy in the middle of the street? And if said boy had no pulse whatsoever and was not breathing? Don't forget, most people are oblivious to these fights" he explained calmly. He had learned the lesson of _always_ using the Soul Candy after a few stupid problems with ambulances that thought he'd been dead. The ex-Shinigami certainly didn't want another one like that again.

"And how does this candy help you?" Karin asked him as she stopped the ball with her foot, signaling that she had enough of playing for today. They had been playing close to three hours now and he had enough himself, so he just nodded and sat on the grass, resting his back on the house wall.

"It's called a Soul Candy" Ichigo explained. "It has an artificial soul inside of it. When I eat it and my soul exits my gigai, the soul of the candy occupies it, so no one can come even close to thinking that I'm dead. It's good to avoid stupid misunderstandings that way" he looked at Karin and quickly added "don't ask me about artificial souls. All I know is that they are made thanks to science. I have no clue how they are made or how they're put into these candies."

"And what's a gigai?" she asked him instead. The once orange haired boy sighed.

"An artificial body" he said and she nodded in understanding. She had no questions left to ask for now, as they returned to the point from which they've started.

"Hey, you said that you used to play football, but that you stopped around a year ago, right?" Ichigo suddenly asked. This problem was bothering him for two months now, and it was time he got an answer to it. When she nodded, he asked what was on his mind, straight to the point as always. "Why did you stop then? I thought you said you liked it."

Karin's face suddenly tensed and the Primera Espada had the feeling like he shouldn't have asked. But before he could say that she didn't have to answer, she spoke.

"I kept telling myself that I didn't know the reason at first" she said, looking him straight into the eyes. He raised his now hazel eyebrows when he saw her expression. It wasn't the tough mask he was used to. Instead, her eyes showed feelings he never saw in them before. Pain, hankering and… was it loneliness he saw there?

"I kept telling myself that in the beginning" she repeated, now looking at the ground. "But as days passed, I realized that I was fed up with lying to myself. I knew exactly why I stopped playing back then."

Frankly, she had no idea why she was telling the hazelnut haired boy the truth. She has just known him for two months and she was already telling him things she didn't tell even her family. What was it about him that made her open up to him so much?

"I stopped playing when my brother died. I stopped playing because of his death. I started thanks to him in the first place; he was the one who taught me in the beginning, he was still playing with me then. Knowing that we'd never play together again… it just made the whole thing loose what was fun about it" she said in a hollow voice as she looked up. She didn't meet his gaze though as she looked to the side. It was her first time opening up like that. It was so unlike her! What possessed her to tell him?

Her eyes widened and her head turned back to the ocean-blue eyed boy when she felt his hand on her head. He was scowling at her and she couldn't help but think that the scowl looked familiar somehow. '_It looks just like the way Ichi-nii always scowled_' she realized suddenly.

"Idiot" she heard the older boy say. She narrowed her eyes at him. How dare he call her that? He was going to pay right now, and she was going to make sure of it. She slowly raised her foot to kick him in the shin when he continued talking.

"Do you really think your brother would want you to stop just because of that?" he asked her. She was taken aback, forgetting instantly about the insult.

"What?" she asked stupidly, although the black haired girl heard perfectly well what her friend just said.

"Do you really think your brother would want you to stop because of that?" he repeated his question. "That's just running away from your problems and a proof that you can't let him go. Do you think he would want you to mourn like that?"

He tried to stay calm, really. And he hoped that his mask stayed where it was. But his insides were burning with anger. Not at Karin, but at himself. He was mad at himself for causing his family so much suffering, when he had vowed to himself to do everything he could to prevent them from going through that kind of pain again. He had promised himself that, and he had failed.

"Tsuchiro…" Karin was speechless, but she had to say that he had a point. If Ichigo had heard her talking like that, he definitely would not be happy. After all, the carrot-top was the kind of brother who desperately wanted to protect his friends and family from any kind of harm, and who would risk his life for them anytime. And since he died in battle, he died while protecting them. It didn't matter that it was a danger she never really knew about before. What mattered was that he died protecting everyone from the psycho that wanted to destroy the whole city… or at least the last person who stayed loyal to said psycho. So she should be proud of him, or at the very least not mourn like she was right now. Ichigo surely wouldn't want her to act that way, she knew that much.

"Thanks" she said as she actually smiled at him, for the first time since… very long. He grinned back and ruffled her hair, getting a kick to the shin as payback. He should know by now that she hated it to be treated like a little girl.

* * *

After dinner, Ichigo excused himself earlier than usual and went up onto the roof through his window. Just as he expected, the young Arrancar was there, just like every other night or day. She only came in to sleep and eat, although the second one wasn't too often and Ichigo had to bring her dinner into his room just like he did for Rukia once, because otherwise Yuzu would be worried.

"Nothing, huh?" he asked as he sat down next to her. The green haired girl didn't even turn her head in his direction.

"Nothing" she confirmed. "Although Nel doesn't know how long this peace will last."

He sighed. She was right, the next battle could be anytime. Unfortunately they could never tell in advance when or where a Hollow would show up, unlike the Shinigami and their Hollow-tracking device. Oddly enough, even though he was sure Rukia and Renji had this device now, he was somehow always the one to arrive first at the battle field, the two of them coming only once he was done. The once orange haired boy didn't know whether to be happy or suspicious about it.

"Have you noticed though? Since we arrived two months ago, the number of Hollows has increased" he said, gazing up at the stars. "First it was one or two hollows per week, now we hardly get a day without at least three of them. And they keep getting stronger too. Well, their mask does."

It was true. Ever since the two of them arrived, not only were more and more Hollows arriving in Karakura, they had also harder and harder masks. Unluckily for them, Ichigo quickly got used to fighting while on extreme hold back, so even those with the hardest mask were no longer a problem for him. Usually one kidō-spell or one swing of his Zanpakutō did the trick. He had gotten better at using kidō too. He could now use it at free will, without having to rely on his instinct… well, mostly. He had a feeling that there were still a few spells he was capable of casting, but that he didn't do even once up until now. The strongest he ever used was the doubled version of number thirty-three: Sōren Sōkatsui of the destructive spells, and number seventy-five, Gochūtekkan of the binding spells.

"Nel also realized that there were also a lot more the day Itsygo and Nel arrived than before" the Arrancar girl said. That caught his attention immediately.

"What do you mean, Nel?" he asked, not really understanding what she meant.

"A lot more strong Hollows started to come over to the World of the Living once Nel and Itsygo arrived here" Nel explained. "It's like they are targeting Nel or Itsygo… or maybe someone else."

"Targeting someone?" he asked, leaning his chin on his fist, a scowl back on his features. But who would the Hollows target in the Real World? It could hardly be him or Nel, as they were definitely easier to find in Hueco Mundo, before Urahara gave the once amber-eyed boy the reiatsu-eating bracelet. So it had to be someone from here. But who?

Mentally, he scratched out the possibility of Ishida, Inoue and Chad. If it was about one of the three, the Hollows would have at least tired to get near them. This was not the case, as Ichigo didn't even run into them once, let alone see them fight one of the Hollows.

It was hard to believe it was someone from his family either. Sure, Karin got attacked once but he had the feeling it was just because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If it really was about someone from his family, the Hollows would have already come to the clinic, just like they did all those years ago when he first met Rukia.

No, it was no one from the World of the Living, at least not someone he knew. But then, that meant that the most probable target was…

His head snapped up as he felt it. Immense reiatsu, much stronger than the Hollows that came up until now. He quickly stood up, as did Nel.

"Nel senses only one" the young looking girl confirmed his thoughts. "And Nel senses different people going to meet it. They're probably won't take long to arrive."

Ichigo nodded his head. He felt something more. He knew that the Hollow was quite nearby, and it was followed by an icy reiatsu-feeling, meaning that Rukia probably decided to take it on. The once orange haired boy could also feel Renji, although the redhead would need more time to get to the target, seeing as he was definitely further away. There were also three half-human reiatsu near the Hollow and definitely headed towards it. He assumed it was Ishida, Chad and Inoue. If he was lucky enough, he might even run into them before he had to leave after defeating the enemy … if Rukia didn't beat him to it that is.

"Where exactly is it?" he asked his small partner. It was true that his feeling of reiatsu has improved greatly since he became an Espada, but he still had problems with pinpointing the exact location of the ones he was looking for.

Nel didn't even get the chance to respond as the ground shook violently, giving Ichigo a response to his question instead. The Hollow was right in front of his front door! '_Shit!_' he thought as he ran towards the edge of the roof. He swiftly jumped down and landed easily on the ground, right in front of his enemy. Nel followed close behind, landing lightly on his shoulder. However, someone else was standing in front of the Hollow as well, confronting it.

"Well, well, may I ask what gives me this honor?" his father asked in a mocking tone and Ichigo had to force himself not to let his jaw fall to the ground as he saw Isshin with a Zanpakutō and in a familiar, black kimono. There was no mistaking it, it was definitely a uniform.

"You're a Soul Reaper?" Well, it certainly explained the change in the feel of his reiatsu, Ichigo concluded.

It was not the once orange haired boy who yelled that question though. Looking back, he saw the black haired girl in the entry door, her eyes wide open with surprise. Yuzu was behind her, a questioning look on her eyes, as if she was about to ask 'what's going on?' That was to be expected though as the chestnut haired girl wasn't able to see simple ghosts, let alone Shinigami and Hollows.

Isshin slowly turned his head towards his daughter, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Well… uhm…" he wasn't allowed to form a proper answer as the Hollow took the moment of the man's seeming loss of focus to strike. Isshin however was far from zooming out. He dodged the attack effortlessly and laid a hand on the handle of his sword, his grin getting bigger.

"You shouldn't interrupt others when they're speaking, nor attack them when they aren't looking at you. It only proves you a coward" he said as he sliced the air rapidly before sheathing his sword once again. At least it looked like he sliced the air, but the once amber-eyed boy widened his eyes when he saw the Hollow almost cut in two. His father turned his back on his opponent and looked back at Karin, without even acknowledging Ichigo. The boy could hardly blame him though. Karin never mentioned that he was not only able to see everything, he was practically dead.

"Well, you see Karin… Thing is that…" Isshin struggled to say, oblivious to the fact that, by whatever miracle, his opponent was getting to his feet and getting ready to strike. Karin's eyes widened when she realized what was about to happen.

"DAD, WATCH OUT!" she screamed as loud as she could, but Ichigo decided to act instead.

"Hadō thirty-three! Sōkatsui!" he called, skipping the incantation. There was no time for the spirit chant. But he didn't care. He was good enough with spells up to this one to skip the incantation. He needed one for the stronger ones though.

The blue flame hit the monster square in the mask, right as it was about to land a hit on his father. It was forced back, but was otherwise unharmed. The once orange haired boy used the split seconds he had won to swallow his Soul Candy and next thing Karin knew was a man in a white cloak with a cowl over his face and clad in a black kimono, literally jumping out of Tsuchiro's body before vanishing into thin air. When she looked back in the direction of the monster, she saw that sale figure strike with all its force onto the mask of the enemy.

"That's what you get for trying to harm my family" the half-Hollow half-Shinigami whispered to his opponent as he pushed his Zanpakutō harder against the white mask. As his eyes glowed bright blue, the mask cracked and the blade cut the creature's face in half before the former Soul Reaper withdrew and sheathed his katana, landing lightly on the ground.

"You're a Shinigami?" he heard a surprised voice and turned to see his father staring at him. He shook his head.

"Not really. I do look like one, but I am not" he answered. And it wasn't a lie. He was not a Shinigami. Not any more anyway.

Isshin's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything as a new voice interrupted them.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" the familiar female voice cut the silence. Ichigo didn't have to look to now that the attack was directed at him, so he only jumped high into the air, avoiding it without much effort. But Rukia wasn't done yet.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro" were the next words he had and this time she almost got him, but he managed to use Sonido just in time to escape the freezing air. The raven haired Shinigami surely has improved during his one-year slack out.

"Not done yet!" she screamed as she charged him head on as soon as his feet touched the ground. The ex-Shinigami didn't answer as he side-stepped her attack before using Sonido again, to put more distance between himself and her. He would not fight back. He _couldn't_ fight back. There was just no way Ichigo would raise a fist against her, let alone a sword.

'_Stop it, Rukia_' he pleaded in his thoughts, but kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to speak in front of her, as he was more than sure that she would recognize his voice. So Ichigo had to play mute while she was around. '_Please, stop_'.

"**She ain't going to stop if you don't use your voice to tell her to, King"** he heard Tsuchiro mock him and Ichigo frowned.

'_You know as well as I do that it would mean telling her who I am. There's no way she wouldn't recognize my voice_' he answered in his thoughts, annoyance evident in his mental tone.

"**Why should she? Your sisters have not noticed a thing"** his other self pointed out. Ichigo didn't bother responding, he knew there was no need. His inner Hollow knew as well as he did that there was a big difference between Rukia and his sisters.

While his sisters more or less accepted his death, they had no idea there was actually a slight chance of his survival, and as such, they didn't even allow the thoughts of him being alive into their heads, blocking any similarities out. That was the reason they did not recognize him by his voice.

But Rukia was a different story. She knew about the Hollows and what they were since she was a Shinigami. So he had to speculate that she didn't let go of the thought he might have become a Hollow. As such, she was much more aware to the similarities to his old self than his sisters and there was no doubt she would recognize his voice. Deep down, Ichigo had a feeling that his father recognized him too once he saw that he was actually a spirit and not a living human.

"Quit running away!" Rukia yelled aggravated as he dodged yet another one of his attacks. "Quit running and fight me!"

"STOP IT!" Karin had 'joined the fight' now, if one could consider standing in front of the hooded boy with her arms spread 'joining the fight'. Basically what she was doing was shielding him, so that Rukia wouldn't attack again. Said Shinigami's violet orbs widened.

"What are you doing, Karin?" the raven haired girl asked, addressing the younger female like she used to before. The black haired girl didn't respond as the person behind her placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Karin-chan" he whispered, only loud enough for her to hear. "It had to come to it. She sees me as her enemy after all."

"That's no reason to attack you like that when she saw you defend us only a second ago!" Karin snapped back. Ichigo was about to say something when he felt familiar reiatsu, but on a definitely higher level than normal.

"Tsutsyro!" he heard Nel cry as the Arrancar girl tried to get over to him, but Nigaru held her tight in his muscular arms, that actually belonged to Ichigo. Her warning wasn't really needed though, as the second she screamed, he had already turned around, after hiding Karin behind him, and stopped a long, extended blade that he recognized instantly. It was Zabimaru.

"No way" he heard Karin whisper from behind him, but he didn't need to ask what amazed her like that. It was probably the fact that he stopped the blade with his bare arm. Well, seemingly bare. In reality, it was his reiatsu-eating bracelet that stopped the assault. Ichigo had done it countless times before when he battled Hollows, so he knew that impressed his enemies, who never saw the device feeding on his strength constantly, and gave him the opening he needed to quickly end it. It also allowed him to notice that it would take much to force the bracelet to snap open, so he didn't have to worry about being forced to fight full force, just like Kenpachi never worried about it, seeing as it was hard to knock of his eye patch.

"Get back, Karin-chan" he whispered, so that only his sister would hear him. When she refused, he grabbed her arm gently as to not cause her pain and used Sonidoto get to the entrance door. There, he left Karin and used Sonido again, to get to the middle of the road and facing the three Shinigami. His father didn't seem like he wanted to attack him though, so Ichigo only concentrated on the two lieutenants across him, one of which used to be his friend, while the other was once his lover. Not that he stopped loving her, far from it. But he just couldn't allow her to know it was him.

"What the Hell's going on?" Isshin suddenly asked and Rukia finally glanced at him. Her violet eyes widened ever so slightly when she finally realized who he was.

"We should be the ones asking that, Kurosaki-san" Renji said before the raven haired Shinigami could even open her mouth. "Why is _he_" the redhead motioned towards Ichigo, "here? And why aren't you stopping him? He could be a potential thread to Soul Society. Haven't you promised, since your son died and you revealed yourself, to help Soul Society and destroy any threat, or potential threat to the latter?" he asked coldly, not letting his gaze leave Ichigo.

"And why is Rendzy saying Tsutsyro and Nel are threats? Rendzy and Rukia know Nel, don't they? Why don't they trust Nel not to bring enemies to the World of the Living? Or do they think of Nel as a threat too?" the green haired girl asked as she suddenly appeared in front of Ichigo. The ex-Shinigami didn't complain, but he didn't lower his guard either. Especially not when he saw Renji's look.

"Nel?" Rukia asked as she looked at the girl, scanning her from head to toe. Finally, recognition flashed in the violet eyes. "That Arrancar-child who helped us rescue our friend Orihime a while back?" she struggled to say, as it immediately reminded her of a person that led their party back then, but who was now 'gone'. She kept her composure though and let no emotion show on her face, hiding behind her perfect Kuchiki mask.

Or almost perfect, as the remembered pain was quickly seen by Ichigo when he locked his gaze with hers. Not that she noticed though, because his face was completely hidden by his cowl.

Nel nodded vigorously as she realized that she had been recognized. However, she needed much more than her identity to convince Renji.

"I trust you, Nel, since you helped us a lot back then. You and your friends" Renji said wearily as his grip on Zabimaru tightened slightly, a fact that escaped Nel's eyes, but that didn't go unnoticed by Ichigo. The ex-Shinigami tensed ever so slightly, preparing for another attack, should it come. "However, I do not trust the person behind you. I know nothing of him, except that he is strong. I can tell from his outfit that he's a Shinigami, but if he were one, why would he hide his identity from us? What would he be doing here in the first place? And how did you meet him?"

Nel's eyes widened slightly at the assault of questions she did not know how to answer, without telling the truth Ichigo desperately wanted to be kept a secret. Her position didn't change for the better when Renji continued to speak.

"Next would also be the question how you even got here. We parted ways with you in Hueco Mundo didn't we? So only he could have brought you here. But for what purpose? And let's not forget that you not only have a gigai, but a Soul Candy as well. Where did you get that from, eh?" Nel's lower lip shivered as she understood what the redhead was implying.

"Rendzy… Rendzy doesn't think Nel and Tsutsyro killed someone to get them, does he?" the 'three-or-four-year-old girl' asked, her tone indicating that she was at the verge of tears. Renji's eyes hardened.

"That's exactly what he's implying" the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid whispered, careful not to speak loud enough for the two Shinigami to hear. Nel turned to him and stared with her big, gray eyes at him.

"But Nel and Tsutsyro didn't do any…" she wasn't allowed to finish as the ex-Shinigami quickly caught her by her waist and used Sonido to evade Renji's attack. The redhead has actually attacked the second the seemingly young Arrancar turned her back to him!

Ichigo reappeared next to his sisters and put Nel gently back onto her feet. Her eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief. She was not expecting her friends to attack her, but she didn't think for even a while that they might not see her as a real friend anymore, for whatever reason that might be.

"Protect her" he told Nigaru, to which the Soul occupying his gigai only nodded.

"You can count on me" he replied, speaking for the first time since Ichigo ever 'used' or spoke to him. His voice was calm and gentle, but the ex-Shinigami new from its undertone that he could trust this Soul with his life if he needed to. He had a feeling Nigaru would not betray him. "I will not let a single hair fall from her head."

The hybrid nodded and whispered one more thing before turning back to Rukia and Renji. If his face was visible now, they would probably step back in fear, for his eyes showed just how mad he was. How can Renji even _dare_ to attack Nel while the girl isn't even looking at him?

"Tsuchiro-sama says that if you want to fight, you should attack him and fight like a man, instead of attacking a small girl like a coward when she isn't even paying attention to you" Nigaru transmitted his words to the Soul Reapers in front of him. The Soul from the Candy was also aware of the temporary name switch and was sure not to have a slip of tongue. Not that it was possible seeing how often he talked, but he still paid attention to it. One could never know.

Ichigo smirked when he saw the vein pop out at Renji's forehead and took a stance. This time, he was planning on fighting back, so that Renji would never dare to attack him or Nel again. He would only rely on Hakuda though and he would still hold back. After all, he wasn't here to kill his friends.

His dad only watched from the sidelined as the lieutenant of the sixth division launched himself at the hooded individual with his sword drawn. But the mystery person who lived in his house hold for two months now hadn't even draw his sword. Instead, he caught Zabimaru with his bare hand and responded with a hit of an open palm of his free hand to the redheads stomach.

"Renji!" Rukia called as she prepared to use one of her kidō spells. However, Ichigo decided right in this moment to use Sonido to get away from his sisters, Nel and his gigai. He didn't want them involved in the fight if he could avoid it. He stopped his high speed run once he was behind Rukia, relatively far away from her. He did not attack.

He didn't hit Renji all that hard either, he was still holding back. Like he said before, he wasn't here to kill his friends.

Suddenly, the ex-Shinigami jumped high into the air, and it was good he did, because a millisecond later, around ten arrows made of Spiritual Energy were impaled in the ground where he previously stood. Great, it looked like Ishida has arrived. And he wasn't the only one.

"Koten Zanshun!" he heard a familiar voice yell. God please no! He didn't come here to fight his friends dammit! He came here to destroy the Hollows! "I REJECT! I REJECT! I REJECT!" he managed to dodge the golden stray of light in the last second before it hit him and landed on the ground easily, before jumping and rolling to the side again to avoid more of the damned Quincy arrows.

"Ishida! Inoue!" Rukia and Renji exclaimed in surprise as the human girl and the Quincy approached them. "What are you doing here?" Rukia managed to ask.

"We felt a pretty strong Hollow reiatsu here and came to take care of it. Seems like we were a little late though" Ishida said, adjusting his glasses. "But I see we have someone else to take care of instead?" he asked as if to reassure himself. Renji nodded and Rukia didn't answer.

"Who is he and why are you fighting him?" Orihime asked, ignoring the fact that she had attacked this individual without knowing these details mere seconds ago.

"He's a suspicious guy whom we keep running into whenever there are Hollows in town, and that ever since the Arrancar alarm two months ago. Seems like it was because of him, so he must be an Arrancar; as such, he's the enemy" Renji said and Ishida nodded.

"Good, then let's get him down" he said and Ichigo raised his eyebrows at the ferocity in the Quincy's voice. Uryū always loved to beat Hollows… but he was never so passionate about it.

Little did Ichigo know that ever since his 'death', Ishida vowed to destroy any threat that had even the slightest possibility of killing someone he considered a friend, even if he would rather die than admit it. He had lost one friend already (that one being also his first: Ichigo) and he would not go through that pain ever again. Not if he could help it.

Orihime felt the same way and she was sure that so did Chad. Speaking of the gentle giant, he should arrive soon enough too, judging from his reiatsu.

"Be careful, he's a strong one" Rukia warned and they nodded their heads as they charged together, Inoue staying back and trying to aim Tsubaki for a perfect shot. She could not allow herself to miss again.

"Hadō thirty-one! Shakkahō!" Rukia yelled as she fired the red energy ball at her opponent, but Ichigo evaded it rather easily, before letting Zabimaru collide with his bracelet again, although to everyone else, it looked like he stopped the Zanpakutō with his bare arm.

"Damn!" Renji cursed as Ichigo held his blade with his right hand and used it as support to jump high into the air to avoid more arrows from Uryū. Orihime still didn't attack, as he moved too fast for her to get a good aim.

Isshin just stared as the hooded person easily avoided all the attacks and his eyes widened as one thought made its way to his head. '_His moves… they look so extremely familiar_' he thought.

Meanwhile, Ichigo kept dodging his friends' attacks to the best of his abilities, but he knew he could not keep it up forever, nor could he just get away as if nothing happened.

"_**Come on, Ichigo. You don't have to hurt them badly. But don't let them hurt you either. That would be a stupid thing to do. Keep holding back, but don't restrain yourself from counterattacking if you have to"**_ he heard the wise words of his Zanpakutō in his mind as he dodged another sat of arrows Ishida shot at him.

"Is that all you can do, maybe-Shinigami?" the black haired boy asked him as he raised his bow again. This time though, Ichigo was sure that he wouldn't shoot just a few arrows like he had been up until now. "If that's the case, then this is your end" the Quincy said as thousands of spiritual projectiles flew at him. There was no way he could dodge them all _and _keep dodging Zabimaru, Sode no Shirayuki and Rukia's kidō. There was only one thing he could do.

'_I feel like I'm going to hate myself for that… but it's not like I have a choice. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get!_' he thought as he stopped dead in his tracks, waiting for the arrows that were approaching him rapidly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zabimaru flying at him while the raven haired girl released her second dance at him from the other side. He was being attacked from three sides at once. He had to be quick. '_Let's go!_'

"**I like the sound of that, King! Let's go… but let's not kill, right?"** Ichigo wasn't surprised at all that Shirosaki was definitely not pleased about the not killing part. He sighed mentally as the attacks approached him as if in slow motion. As if through a thick wall, he heard Orihime scream.

"Koten Zanshun! I REJECT!" she yelled and he didn't have to turn around to know that she attacked from behind. That left him only one way to go.

'_Don't worry, Tsuchiro. You'll get to… no, WE will get do some serious battling soon enough. It won't be against hollows and it won't be a life and death battle… but it'll be more real than this_' he thought and he could swear he heard his Inner Hollow clap his hands together.

"**Sweet, King! I can't wait! But let's get ourselves out of this mess first, shall we?"** Ichigo smirked, although his cowl hid it perfectly.

'_Yeah, let's go…_' he hesitated before inhaling and finally saying it. It wasn't like he was confessing love to his other self… just a strong friendship bond he felt they had. '_… partner… and friend_' he finished and was sure that his mirror image's mouth felt open as he said it. Finally, time moved in normal rapidity again and the attacks shot towards him at incredible speed.

"WE GOT HIM!" Renji yelled and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, you don't. You're far from it" he whispered to himself as the attacks reached him and collided in a gigantic explosion. It was then that Chad had arrived and stopped dead in his tracks, not only because of the explosion but also because what followed.

"Did we really get him?" Uryū asked as he stopped shooting his arrows. A deep sound of a Sonido was heard behind him. He didn't have time to react.

"You did not and you were far from it" a voice… a terribly _familiar_ voice said behind him as an open palm was slammed into his chest. Ichigo was far from being serious though and the attack was extremely weak… in his standards. The Quincy hit the ground hearing two more words before his world went black.

"Sorry, Ishida."

"ISHIDA-KUN!" Orihime yelled as the boy was slammed into the asphalt.

"YOU BASTARD!" Renji yelled as he used shunpō to attack the mysterious figure from behind, while Rukia attacked from the front. Chad's eyes widened as he watched the hooded boy dodge both attacks with ease, then punch Renji in the gut. He didn't attack Rukia though and the black haired Soul Reaper used it to attack again while Orihime ran over to the two boys on the asphalt. Ichigo's father studied the damage done to the Quincy, while Inoue healed the redhead.

Chad raised his head again, only to see the unknown individual raise one of his hands at Rukia who was attacking once more. He didn't hear what the person said, he only noticed the five iron pillars that fell from the sky and pinned the female Death God to the ground.

"Damn, how can he perform such a kidō without even calling its name?" he heard the raven haired girl gasp but he didn't run to her to see if she was alright, nor to anyone else. He just kept staring into the sky where the unknown individual was standing and almost frowned. The battle he just witnessed… it felt like a déjà vu. The way this person moved… it was exactly Ichigo's way to use his hands and feet in hand to hand combat. His style that he perfected along with Chad before he became a Soul Reaper.

The giant boy shook these thoughts off as his arm transformed. His friends were battling this guy and losing, so he would help, no matter what he thought of it.

He was about to send an energy blast towards the boy when his target disappeared. With a deep sound, he felt him behind but for some reason did not turn around. His supposed opponent didn't attack either.

"Chad! Look out behind you!" he heard Rukia scream at him as she tried to free herself from the pillars but found it an impossible task. Chad ignored her warning and sent an energy blast right at the pillars, freeing the Shinigami.

"Thanks, Chad" he heard the person behind him say, although it was so quiet he might have as well imagined it. With a loud sound of Sonido, the mysterious person vanished from behind him and moved to Orihime's side, who was near the entry to the Kurosaki-house.

The orange haired girl quickly stood and brought her shield in front of herself, but the boy did not attack her. Instead, he grabbed Nel and the Soul inside his gigai. He turned around for a moment and she swore she felt something about him and his reiatsu… something familiar.

And then he used Sonido again, and appeared several yards above them. She looked up, as did Chad, Isshin, Rukia and the twins. Ishida stared into the sky as well, but he was seeing something else than the late-night sky, as he was lost in deep thought. Renji was still out cold from the punch he received and from his collision with the hard ground, but he would come to eventually.

Ichigo sighed as he looked down on his friends and family before using Sonido to get away from them and once he was sure they were not trying to follow, he switched to shunpō. His destination was clear: he wanted to find the Vizards. He could hardly stay at his family's house anymore and Urahara was out of the question since he was already keeping Rukia and Renji over. The once orange haired boy only hoped that he would be welcomed by Shinji and the rest of the group… assuming they were still in Karakura that is. But he had a feeling they were.

* * *

Isshin kept gazing into the sky where he had seen the hooded boy only second before and sighed. '_If you're planning on coming back here, you'll have some explaining to do, and I won't let you off without it… Ichigo_' the man thought as he felt his son's reiatsu vanish as it was perfectly cloaked.

* * *

*** Kami – 'God' in Japanese**

**** 'Ichigo ****yoyokagirinaku' – literally 'Ichigo forever and ever'.**

***** Why do I feel like Ichigo would kill me for this one? :3**

**Hey, this chapter is even longer than the previous one :] Would you believe it? 16 pages Microsoft Word, written in Verdana, size 9. Man, I'm better than I thought when it comes to length XD**

**Also, if someone didn't get it: Rukia is wrong when she thinks Ichigo didn't even call the kidō's name before he pinned her with it. He just said it so quietly she did not hear it.**

**So… like it? Hate it? Please, leave a review and do tell, ok?**


	6. Ichigo & Shirosaki: Our New Home

**OK, I bestow now the newest chapter on you, do with it what you want. I hope you'll just read and enjoy though, instead of tearing it apart or something.**

**Jokes aside, I want to ask you to please read carefully the A/N at the end of the chapter. It contains some important info and other (also important) things considering this story, as well as my future Bleach story. So please, do read it, don't skip it. Now, enjoy XD**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWER:**

**Snowfire7: Here you have it, I updated XD I'm really glad you liked it. I hope you'll like this chapter as well LOL Thank you for the review and the kind words it contained. I really appreciate it :3**

**Warning and reminder: chapter contains slight spoilers on the 'Winter War' chapters, of the manga up to 386 included. However, chapter 387 was ignored, as if it wasn't there, so please keep that in mind.**

**Reader's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

_Hollows speaking_

**Disclaimer: This is the last time for this story that I say it, so open your ears: I. Do. NOT. Own. Anything. The only exception is the plot. Now, don't make me repeat it again, you got that?**

* * *

_Chapter 6 – Ichigo & Shirosaki: Our new Home_

"Are you sure there's absolutely nothing wrong with him?" Rukia sounded skeptical as she asked the question. "For someone who's completely fine, he sure takes a lot of time to wake up." Isshin chuckled at the raven haired Death God's statement. He then looked back at the redhead on his couch, who was still out cold. He was sure the punch said redhead received wasn't as powerful as it could have been. At least that's what he thought, judging from the fact that his son defeated an unnaturally strong hollow in mere seconds. A hollow that was able to move despite having the lower part of its body separated from the upper part.

Now that he thought about it, it was the first time something like that happened as far as Isshin knew. True, slicing the opponent in half didn't always kill it… at least not immediately, but it immobilized the opponent without a fail. That kind of killing was another mean to cleanse a Hollow, albeit slicing the mask was quicker.

So, even though he didn't get to see the full display of the monsters power, Ichigo's father was well aware of the fact that said lost soul was extremely powerful. Yet it didn't even take his son thirty seconds to kill it. Maybe it was due to the fact that Isshin did part of the job, but still, the man was sure his son had become quite powerful in the time he was away. But if he was, the hits he delivered to his friends were definitely an absolute holdback. That's the only explanation the man found to the contradicting power displays.

"I'm quite sure he'll wake up soon enough. It would take more than that to get the stubborn lieutenant of the sixth division down, wouldn't it?" he answered as he studied Rukia's features. The black haired girl let a smile cross her face, but Isshin couldn't help but think it was a fake. He didn't question it though.

"Sure you'd need more than that. It was nothing" a male voice suddenly spoke up from the couch and everyone looked down to see Renji, his eyes still closed but a smirk on his face. He was playing unconscious all along!

"You dumbass!" Rukia yelled at him as soon as she understood his little joke and hit him on the head. "If you were fine then you shouldn't have played like that! We could've followed that person from before. Now, who knows when we'll cross paths again, let alone swords! And let me remind you of our orders: no returning to Soul Society before capturing or killing that someone."

Renji winced as she reminded him of their new orders. They received them as soon as they reported about the suspicious person to Head-Captain Yamamoto, since the old man decided the person could be a potential thread. So they were to capture him in order to determine whether he's friend or foe. If he proved to resist, he would automatically become the second one. In that case, they were to dispose of him.

"You saw how he played with us back there" he suddenly spoke, getting everyone's attention. "He didn't even draw his sword, and he has two of them. How do you expect us to ever beat him? And he knows kidō too. There's just no way we'll be ever able to carry out those orders" he was looking at his lap now. Rukia didn't respond and Isshin looked away. He had a feeling it wouldn't be a good idea to tell them that on top of all Renji just said their 'target' was also holding back. What the redheaded lieutenant said was true. There was no way they would beat Ichigo as they were now.

Ichigo sneezed loudly as he kept jumping from roof to roof. He slowed down considerably, so that Nigaru could keep up with ease. Nel was holding on tight to his shoulder, just like she always did. Ichigo just hoped no one would look up on the roofs and see a small girl literally floating in the air. Nel was still in her gigai after all. She rarely got out. The hooded ex-Shinigami though little of it though. Apparently, she just liked being inside it, contrary to him. He preferred to be outside of the fake body. Now he understood Renji's and Rukia's complains about them being uncomfortable.

"Bless you" Nel said from his shoulder as he sneezed again. Damn. If not for the fact he was a spirit, he could have started thinking that he was getting sick, but as it was he knew it couldn't be the case. That forcefully meant that someone was talking about him. He didn't need to ask to know who that probably was. Who else other than his friends who he had just beaten?

The Soul Reaper-Hollow-Hybrid suddenly stopped in his tracks as he arrived at his destination. It didn't take long to see the familiar yellow barrier surrounding one of the warehouses. The ex-Shinigami jumped down and landed lightly on the ground and approached said barrier. If it was there, then Shinji and the others were definitely inside. Ichigo hesitated slightly at the entrance, not knowing whether he'd be really welcomed, even if he showed his friends who he was. He shook these thoughts off and presses his hand against the barrier.

He was sure to meet resistance, which in turn would allow Hachi to notice that someone was outside. Someone who wanted to enter. Man was he surprised when he passed right through without the slightest problem. Even more surprisingly, Nel and Nigaru passed without problem as well. Something was off here, Ichigo could tell that much. As soon as he entered the warehouse, the entrance of which had another barrier on it that yet again let them pass through without resistance, he understood for a powerful reiatsu hit him full force. Unprepared, he almost fell to his knees but quickly regained his composure.

"A Hollow" he said simply and Nel nodded, confirming his thoughts. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. But why here of all places?" he wondered aloud as he ran towards the steps that led to the underground. If the Vizards were fighting there was no wonder Hachi couldn't maintain the barrier, almost perfect, like it always was. It was still weird though that they hadn't noticed his presence. Or was he that good at masking his reiatsu now?

Ichigo shook his head as he followed down the steps. When he was down however, he stopped dead in his tracks. Sure there was a Hollow, just as he expected. That wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was the fact that it seemed to have defeated almost all of the Vizards.

'_No, impossible. That thing can't be that strong!_' Ichigo thought to himself as he watched the monkey-like thing. Aside from the fact that it had three tails, one covered in spikes, one with something akin to the blade of an axe and the third looked like a simple, but extremely flexible snake tail. It was probably a deadly whip. It was that tale that held Shinji in its grasp right now.

"**Why can't it, King? The other Hollows we encountered weren't really some lowlifes either"** he heard Tsuchiro say in his head and his eyes widened. Could it be that he was so strong that he didn't even notice his opponent's true strength?

"**Finally realized it, huh? Told ya I made us stronger"** Tsuchiro said with a grin and Ichigo rolled his eyes mentally.

'_No kidding_' he said mockingly. He then turned his eyes to Nel and Nigaru who followed him close behind.

"Stay here, both of you. You'll see if I'll need your help" he said and the both of them nodded. It was their natural plan of action. As the strongest of them (and the only one who had a weapon), Ichigo was always the first one to attack. Should he ever need help, Nigaru would step in as a diversion, sometimes even landing powerful hits. And Nel took care of any ceros that might go unnoticed by both boys.

Ichigo averted his head back to the battlefield, deciding to ask himself later why the Hollow appeared here of all places, or how it found its way here. His eyes widened however as he saw the Hollow throw Shinji to the ground. The ex-Captain landed easily on his feet however and countered immediately, followed close behind by Lisa. Hachi send a kidō its way at the same time, while Kensei ran right at it with his fists high. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the assault.

"Let's wait for now" he said suddenly. He wanted to see it with his own eyes. Could the Hollow really be powerful enough to take down four Vizards at once?

He found his answer rather quickly, as the Hollow counterattacked almost all of the attacks, seemingly with no effort at all. His spiked tail hit the ground with so much force that Kensei was forced to retreat. The axe-tail swung itself at Lisa. The girl dodged the attack pretty easily and was about to hit the Hollow with her released Zanpakutō, but was batted away like a stubborn bee by the whip-like tail, her body becoming the Hollows shield against Hachiggen's kidō. The girl fell to the ground, but recovered almost immediately.

Shinji was the only one to get through, and Ichigo assumed it was due to the ability of his Zanpakutō, Sakande, which reversed all directions by controlling the vision of the enemy.

The strongest among the Vizards crashed his sword against the mask of the Hollow, but to his and everyone else's great surprise, he might have as well done nothing at all. The mask was still intact.

_You are a persistent one, but I like it this way_ it spoke suddenly._ That way, I can have my fun before eating all of you and concentrating on the target_ it laughed as it caught Shinji with his flexible tail again, throwing him against Kensei who was charging again and throwing both men to the ground.

'_So they are after a target_' Ichigo thought. At least now he knew for sure that this was the reason why those freaking Hollows were showing up here. But judging from the Hollows words, none of the Vizards were its intended target. So then, who was it?

His thoughts were interrupted as he registered a suspicious, red light shining brightly. The Hollow was about to unleash a cero at the two men it had now pinned to the ground with his spiky tail, while the two remaining ones kept Lisa and Hachi occupied. This… didn't look good.

"Shit!" Shinji cried as he noticed the Hollows intentions as he and Kensei tried to break free from the death grip of its tail, but it was in vain. Soon enough, the cero flew at the two of them and instinctively, they both closed their eyes waiting for the impact. It never came.

There was someone standing in front of them, sword drawn, and repelling the cero that probably should have killed them. The persons cloak was rattling from the force of the cero.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as the doom blast pushed him several centimeters back. No wonder Shinji and the others had problems fighting that thing. It was freaking strong!

'_Damn… Can't… Hold it_' he thought as his arms started to shake from the strain. He had never faced a cero this powerful before head on.

"**No wonder, King. It's about twice as strong as a Cero Oscura"** Tsuchiro informed him and Ichigo's eyes widened. Twice as strong as _that_ thing? The orange haired ex-Shinigami had a feeling that he was pretty much screwed, especially since the Hollow didn't seem to be letting up. Damn.

'_If I don't get out of here, I'll be toasted. But if I do, Shinji and Kensei will get it. Damn!_'

To Ichigo's relief, in that moment he heard someone beside him. Looking at his side, he spotted Nel who was out of her gigai and already started to absorb the cero. Ichigo muttered a quick thanks as soon as the strain was off his shoulder and turned while raising his sword. He didn't have time to force the tail to let his friends go, so he'd take the easy way out: cut the tail off.

He was lucky, since the tail proved much easier to cut through than the mask and soon the two men were free, whereas the Hollow broke up his cero and started to shriek in pain. This diversion was all Nel needed to fire a cero of her own, together with the one she absorbed. It tore the two remaining tails of the beast, as well as its arms to pieces, as the Hollows shielded his mask with them. Unfortunately, due to the obstacles, the mask stayed intact.

With another loud yell, the hollows arms and tail recovered almost immediately, slashing wild in all directions.

'_Instant Regeneration? Oh, crap!_' Ichigo thought as he quickly grabbed Nel and the two Vizards before using Sonido to get out of its range. But the tip of the spiked tail still managed to almost hit him at the neck, as if trying to behead him. Had he been one millisecond slower, the Hollow would have succeeded. As it was, it only tore a bit his cloak at his throat, almost causing it to fall off. But right now, Ichigo didn't care. The only thing that mattered was to beat this thing without getting himself and everyone else killed.

'_If I want to beat that thing… there's pretty much nothing but one thing I can do_' he thought. He could hear Tsuchiro clapping his hands together in excitement and rolled his eyes.

Bowing forward, he positioned his sealed Zanpakutō at his side as if it was in a sheath, laying his free hand on the blade.

"Stay here, Nel" he instructed and the Arrancar girl nodded. He prepared himself to launch forward, but Shinji's voice stopped him.

"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" the Vizard asked and Ichigo rolled his eyes. The ex-Shinigami responded without turning back.

"Is this really a good moment to wonder about such things, Shinji?" he asked in return. He didn't care that the Vizard would want explanations later on as to why he knew his name. The man was going to soon find out who he was anyway.

When he got no answer, Ichigo bent forward again, keeping his eyes on his opponent for a while before he used Sonido to get behind it, his back still turned on his enemy. The Hollow turned towards him with a mocking grin on its face, probably thinking of him as an idiot for turning his back on the enemy. But Ichigo knew perfectly well what he was doing, just as he knew of the three tails that were launching themselves at his back. So he kept his cool and stood his ground, in the familiar stance of release, just as he did at Urahara's the first time he did it. This time though, he had to do something more than just yell the name and he knew that. Well, more like felt it.

So he started to pull on his reiatsu as much as he could with the restriction of the bracelet. He would not resort to taking it off yet. Slowly, his cloak started rattling up and down again, this time due to his own strength and dirt from the ground started to float around him as if there was a circular wind current

"Pierce through the heavens, slice through the skies" Ichigo said as his grip on his swords hilt tightened and the blade started shining blue, just like its color. "Reach to the moon, then cut it in half" he continued as he started pulling on the sword as if unsheathing it, turning around to face his opponent's attacks at the same time. "ZANGETSU!" he yelled the name of his sword. An explosion of reiatsu followed and everyone shielded their faces from the dirt that the wind picked up.

When Shinji looked up, his eyes went wide, just like the rest of the Vizards. The mysterious person was kneeling on one knee there; the Hollow's three tails cut to shreds by the explosion of his reiatsu alone, and were currently regenerating. That wasn't what caught their attention though. It was the person's meat-cleaver-look-alike-sword that did. It was stuck lightly into the ground and the Shinigami was holding it with one hand.

"I… Ichigo?" Shinji breathed. The boy didn't answer, simply because he didn't hear it, and stood up, taking his blade out of the ground. He then took a fighting stance before jumping high into the air, preparing himself to attack while the beast's tails were still recovering. He raised his sword high above his head as he summoned all the power he could with his bracelet still on. His eyes glowed bright blue in result.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid screamed as he slashed his sword down. Unfortunately, the energy-beam only destroyed the monster's arms as it shielded itself with them. By the time Ichigo noticed that through the smoke of the explosion, he had already the three tails on his list of problems. He tried to use Shunpō to evade them, but of the tails grabbed his cloak. The orange haired boy didn't hesitate as he ripped the cloth at his neck to pieces, letting the cloak fall off completely. It wasn't like he wasn't recognized already with his sword released.

He landed easily on the ground a few feet away from the Hollow and resumed his fighting position immediately. The Hollows smirked at him as the smoke cleared, showing itself to be completely healed again. Ichigo cursed under his breath.

'_Damn, how much reiatsu does this thing have? How much can it regenerate?_' the hybrid thought in frustration as the Hollow laughed at him.

"**My guess, he'll keep doing that until you finally kill him, King"** Tsuchiro answered and Ichigo's eyes widened.

'_You mean that it can keep going like that forever unless I slice its mask?_' he asked his other self. He sure hoped he was wrong, because if not, it would be one tough battle.

"**Yup, that's what I'm saying"** his Inner Hollow answered and Ichigo was sure he was smirking. But for some reason, the carrot-top was not worried by this revelation at all. Quite the contrary in fact: he was excited, just like Tsuchiro was.

'_Guess we finally found a worthy opponent then, right?_' he asked as he allowed a smirk to appear on his face. This battle was going to be interesting, especially since he was still not going to go all out. If he found an opponent this strong, he wanted to test himself, but he didn't want to go too far… Besides, he didn't know whether Hachi's barrier could still keep all the reiatsu inside it. It could get problematic if some of his reiatsu leaked out and attracted more Hollows. Or other problems.

"**Finally something interesting. But let's still hold back, King. It will be more fun that way"** Tsuchiro was chuckling now, he could hear it. He couldn't help but chuckle himself.

'_My thoughts exactly_' was all he replied. Further conversation was interrupted as Ichigo had to jump high again to avoid one of tails again. It was the one like an axe. Before he knew it, the spiked one was flying at him and he used Sonido to get out of the way. But the second he reappeared, he had to use shunpō to avoid the whip-like tail. This continued for a while as Ichigo couldn't find an opening at all. But this time was not wasted.

While he had to avoid or deflect all the attacks, he was deprived of attacking, that was true, but he used this time to closely inspect his opponent. He quickly noticed a few rather important things.

First of all, the tail with the ending of an axe was the slowest and most clumsy one. It seemed that its axe-like ending was a bit too heavy for it to handle. The other two tails were very quick, but the spiky one was pretty much fixed. It could not change the direction of the attack, and because of that one didn't have to worry much about it once he sidestepped it. It worked much like a spear. One direction of attack and the need of a few second before attacking again were its flaws.

As for the last tale, its flexibility could definitely be used to Ichigo's advantage as well. The boy smirked as he finally got a strategy.

'_Alright, now the real fight begins_' he thought as he avoided another attack of the flexible tail. The smirk never left his face as he kept avoiding a while longer, waiting for a good opportunity. He didn't wait long for one.

He was one ground as he quickly sidestepped the axe-like tail, then quickly jumped back to evade the spiked one, his smirk getting brighter.

'_Got'cha_' he thought as he brought one of his hands up.

"Bakudō four! Hainawa!" he cried as a yellow energy rope flew out of his fingers and bound the two tails together. He could hear the Hollows surprised shriek, but he didn't care. He was completely into it now, concentrating only on the battle. "Two down, one to go" he said to himself as he saw the two tails struggling to break free and failing miserably.

The flexible tail aimed him not much later. He smirked as he used shunpō to evade it, reappearing close to the two bound tails. Just as he expected, the tail quickly changed direction and flew towards him. He shunpō-ed a bit this way and that and almost laughed when he noticed that the Hollow actually fell for such a stupid trick. The last tail was now a beautiful, strong knot, immobilizing itself as well as strengthening the binding spell on the two other tails, since they had the third one immobilizing them now as well.

With the tails out of the way, Ichigo jumped high and made his way right towards the monkey-like Hollows mask. With a yell, the beast brought up its hands in order to punch him, but Ichigo was prepared for that. He stopped mid-attack and started spinning his sword on its bandage, forming a circle of spiritual pressure around it. As the Hollows arm neared him rapidly, he grabbed the handle and swung the blade in a half-arc motion, before dragging his arm backwards.

"Tsukinowa Sora o Kiru!" he yelled as the blue circle dashed towards his opponent and collided with the fist that was supposed to hit Ichigo. Not waiting a split second longer, Ichgo dove forward again, sending a Getsuga Tenshō in front of him, just to be sure. This proved to be a wise decision as his attack stopped the Hollows other fist from colliding with him. Next thing he knew, he was face to face with the Hollow and slammed his blade with all his might against the white mask. The Hollow merely laughed at his attempts, but its laugh was cut short as the mask cracked ever so slightly.

_Why youuuu!_ The Hollow yelled at him, but Ichigo ignored it as he released another Getsuga, point blank at his enemy. He failed to notice the cero that his opponent released at the same time. The explosion that occurred from both attacks blew him back with such force that he could not stop himself and crashed loudly into the ground. He gasped at the collision, feeling a few ribs and other bones break and coughing up a bit of blood. He quickly recovered though, ignoring the pain of his inner and exterior injuries, which were a bleeding head and a deep gash on his chest from where the cero partially hit him. He failed to hear his friends' cries, asking him if he was alright.

As for the Hollow, it was howling in pain and anger. Its tails were still 'out cold', or better said bound together and therefore no threat, but the monkey-like arms were now completely recovered. As for the mask, it was a bit broken, but it was not going to kill the Hollow off. It had a middle-deep scratch, but was not broken.

'_Tough one_' Ichigo thought excitedly as he whipped away the blood that flowed from the wound in his head into his eyes.

_You will pay for this!_ The Hollow shrieked at him, but Ichigo only smirked in return as he jumped upward again, preparing to attack again. He didn't expect the Hollow to use his own doing against him and therefore was caught off guard by the gigantic ball which was actually the three tails knotted together.

'_Oh, crap!_' he thought as he turned around and pulling his blade in front of him, in order to deflect the blow. It didn't change the fact that it's force slammed him into a wall.

"ICHIGO!" this time he heard his Vizard friends as well as Nel call towards him.

Rukia jerked her head up and looked through the window looking at Karakura. Everything was calm; there was no Hollow attack that she, Renji or the Soul Pager detected. So why was she so uneasy all of a sudden?

"Rukia, are you all right?" Renji asked her as he noticed her sudden movement. They were back at Urahara's shop and trying to figure out a way to find a way to beat or at least capture the hooded boy they fought at the Kurosaki's.

The raven hared Shinigami didn't respond. She just kept gazing out of the window with an unreadable expression. Slowly, her hand traveled up to her chest and clenched the shirt of her gigai.

'_What… is this uneasiness? Why do I feel that way when nothing's wrong? Could it be that someone is fighting right now, out there? Do they need help?_' she thought, a slight panic taking over her. It was the same feeling she felt a year ago while Ichigo was in Hueco Mundo, fighting for his life against a horde of Hollows and Ichimaru Gin… and ended up dying.

"Rukia, what is it?" Renji asked again, laying a hand on her shoulder. The gesture jerked her out of her thoughts and she turned to her red haired friend with a real-looking, but absolutely fake smile.

"I'm fine, Renji. I just thought I heard something. But it was nothing" she answered, turning her attention back to their planning. They had to come up with a strategy after all.

"If you say so" Renji answered, but he wasn't really convinced. He decided not to push the matter though. If Rukia said it was nothing, it meant she didn't want to talk about it and Renji wasn't one to push her.

Ichigo pushed himself upward from the ground where he had fallen after slamming into the ground. He focused again, thanking himself for reflexively enveloping his body in a shield of reiatsu to reduce the damage at the beginning of the battle. It was still a close call though. He was much too careless.

Regaining his fighting stance, he was astonished to see that his flesh wounds were healed already.

'_High-Speed Regeneration, huh?_' he asked his Hollow, not stopping the smirk that appeared on his features.

"**Yup. What else did you expect? We always had this ability"** his mirror image replied. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as he remembered something.

'_Then why didn't it heal me while I was fighting Ichimaru? Shouldn't it have saved my life just as it did after my… or rather your fight with Uluquiorra?_' he asked as he eyed the Hollow in front of him. It was smiling, but its smile disappeared quickly when it noticed that Ichigo was still standing.

"**No clue. I was surprised too. Maybe it was due to the rain… well, rather downpour really, that was falling from the sky while you were fighting. Remember, Hat-'n'-Clogs said that feelings were really important when it came to the power of Shinigami. Maybe, since you were a Shinigami, and I a Hollow, all in one body, your feelings influenced my powers as well… and you ended up unable to heal yourself"** Tsuchiro said. Ichigo didn't answer, but he had a feeling his alter ego was right. It could have been due to his feelings, especially since he felt very strongly back then… due to his misunderstanding with Rukia.

Shaking these thoughts off, he concentrated on his enemy once more. It could now use the three tails again, even though they were still tied together. Now, it was an extremely strong, but also an extremely powerful weapon that could easily be compared to a bludgeon. If he got hit by that again, he might not be as lucky as he was just now. Damn, he did not expect his own plan to backfire on him.

But he wasn't worried. He had managed to get to the mask once, he could do it again.

Without wasting time, he used shunpō as he tried to come closer. He was going in a straight line and the Hollow laughed at his stupidity as it brought its tails onto him. Ichigo however was hoping for it to happen and swiftly jumped backwards again. As the tail slammed into the ground, he decided he was fed up with the Hollow's whack-the-Mole game with him. So he brought up one hand and directed it at the slowly rising tails again.

"Bakudō seventy-five. Gochūtekkan" he said calmly and watched as the five familiar pillars fell from the ceiling and slammed the tail back into the ground. It was his favorite binding spell, as was easy to say since he used it pretty often.

Ichigo didn't bother trying the same trick on the Hollow itself for a simple reason. He had a feeling it would not work. Heck, even the tail itself didn't seem to be held back for a long time by his spell, judging from the way the Hollow tried to break free and actually brought the pillars to shake, let alone the whole beast. Hoping that the spell would last long enough though, he jumped up and landed on top of the pillars. From there, he sent another two Moon's Rings before following behind them. Just as expected, both met with their targets: the hands of the Hollow.

With the way free from any obstacles, Ichigo jumped forward and attacked the Hollows mask again. However, he didn't expect the Hollow to catch his blade with its tongue. It wasn't hard to figure out that the Hollow wanted to buy itself some time white its hand regenerated rather fast. But Ichigo had already an idea what to do to finish this. So he let go of his Zanpakutō, earning himself a surprised stare from the Hollow, and jumped back slightly, bringing both of his hands in front of him.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens!" he screamed as he charged up his reiatsu. He decided not to skip the incantation for the sake of power of the attack. He had to finish it in one blow.

"Hadō seventy-three! Sōren Sōkatsui!" he finished as the blue flame shot from his palms and hit its target. Screaming in pain, the Hollow let Ichigo's sword fall, and the ex-Shinigami easily caught it, preparing himself to attack once more, should it be needed. But to his relief, the Hollow finally vanished into thin air.

Letting out the breath he didn't know he had been holding, Ichigo landed on the ground, where he impaled Zangetsu to stop himself from falling. Saying he was tired was an understatement. He was freaking exhausted!

Looking at the ground, he noticed his cloak, pinned down by his sword. He bowed down and picked it up, removing his sword from the ground. His legs shook slightly under him, but he did not fall. Letting out a small sigh to let go off the left-over excitement from battle (he was really becoming like Kenpachi at this point), he threw the cloak over his shoulders, the cowl falling onto his head, just enough to cover his mask. He would not hide his identity from the Vizards, not that he could anyway with the battle they just saw, but he would not let them see what he had become if he could help it.

"Oi, Ichigo!" he heard from his right. Looking over there, he saw Shinji, Kensei, Nigaru and Nel running towards him, while Lisa and Hachi came from his left. The orange haired boy smiled slightly as he threw Zangetsu lightly into the air, making the blade spin around as it flew. As it fell back down and he grabbed the hilt, it was once again in its sealed form.

"Yo" he answered tiredly as he sheathed the Zanpakutō on his back. He gasped slightly as Nel threw herself at him before crawling over to his shoulder, having already re-entered her gigai. "You really love hanging from there, don't you?" he asked and the Arrancar girl nodded. The orange haired boy sighed. "You remind me of Yachiru you know."

"Yachiru? Who's that?" Nel asked in an innocent, albeit curious tone.

"The lieutenant of the eleventh squad, also known as the Zaraki squad" Ichigo replied before turning back to the four Vizards.

"Long time no see, Ichigo" Shinji said with a smirk on his face. "We were wondering if you decided to move to Soul Society or something." The ex-Shinigami averted his eyes, suddenly unable to meet his friends' eyes.

"There were… complications" he answered, trying to avoid the topic as much as possible. Hachi raised his eyebrows at him, while Lisa giggled.

"Complications with a certain Kuchiki Rukia?" she teased, earning a blush from Ichigo. Teasing the orange haired kid was one of the few things aside reading erotic manga that she loved to do. However, the red on said strawberry's cheeks quickly vanished, replaced by a somewhat sad expression. Her eyes didn't miss that, and she made a mental note to ask him later if the two had a quarrel.

"No, it wasn't a complication like that" the amber-eyed hybrid replied, but didn't go further into the topic, so Kensei decided to pull his tongue.

"Then what was it? Did that freak with bells in his hair want to fight you again?" he asked and Ichigo almost smirked, remembering how Zaraki asked him for a duel right after Aizen fell. '_Talk about timing' _the boy thought sarcastically as he shook his head, answering a negative at the question of the former captain of squad nine.

"It was a complication situated in Hueco Mundo, going by the name of Ichimaru Gin" the Primera Espada finally admitted, not missing the hatred that was suddenly present in Shinji's eyes, as well as the other Vizards. He could hardly blame them, really, after what had happened that day. He could have not forgiven the man either for what he has done the day when it all ended. Or almost all.

_[Flashback]_

_Ichigo jumped out of the Garganta without hesitation as it opened slightly, Unohana right behind him, and the black hole closed almost immediately behind them. It wasn't even noticed by anyone, so the orange haired boy had the effect of surprise on his side. He did not attack immediately though, surveying rapidly the area._

_Most of the Captains and lieutenants were at the far back, more or less unharmed, watching the battles still going on. No Espada were in sight, nor could he feel any Espada-like reiatsu around. His sensing skills were rather poor though, so he didn't trust them completely._

_The Substitute Shinigami could see Tousen on the ground in a pool of blood not too far off. The blind man was talking with Komamura and Hisagi, so the amber-eyed boy decided not to interrupt them. Aizen was further off, fighting against Shinji. Ichimaru was without opponent yet._

_The fifteen-year-old Substitute was about to help out Shinji when his eyes caught sight of something else. Parting ways with Unohana, who had already started assisting to some wounded, he quickly used shunpō to get to the ground, next to one of his Vizard friends, the gentle giant Hachi. His eyes went wide at the sight of another one of his friends on the ground._

"_H-Hyori…" he breathed out, his heart refusing to understand what his mind already told him was unfortunately correct. The former lieutenant of the twelfth division was dead, and if not, then not far from it. No one could survive when their lower body-part was completely cut off at the waist from the upper body-part. And that was basically what happened to the girl: she was cut in two, her legs a few feet away to his left._

_Hachigen had turned to him with his eyes wide as he heard his voice. Sweat was rolling down his face, probably due to fatigue as he was trying his best to keep Hyori alive with his kidō, so much like Inoue's power. Alike, but alas, not the same._

"_Ichigo" the giant said as his eyes fell on the orange haired boy, who was still staring dumbstruck at the girl that used to beat the crap out of him with her sandals. "Ichigo, where's Orihime? We need her!"_

_Hachigen's words brought him out of his stupor and the youngest of the Vizards clenched his fists as he looked towards the ground, doing his best in keeping his tears in check. Seeing someone he cared for die… was almost too much for him to handle, almost being the key word. Sure, it hurt a lot, but he could not allow himself to show weakness._

"_She's not here" he forced himself to say, glad that his voice didn't shake. As he noticed the former lieutenant of the Kidō Corps widen his eyes, he explained quickly. "She's still in Hueco Mundo, tending to everyone's wounds, but out of danger. She will probably follow me here soon with everyone else… but I fear she won't be able to arrive in time."_

"_Don't worry about it… Strawberry-head. My own fault for getting myself into such a situation. I was reckless…" he heard a weak voice say and his snapped back to the dying girl. She smiled at him, for the first time since he met her, as if wanting to say she was sorry, although he did not know what she would want to apologize for. Then her eyes rolled into her skull before her eyelids closed. His eyes watered as he understood that the blond girl was gone for good._

"_Hyori…" he choked out her name as he closed his eyes, trying to prevent the tears that accumulated in his eyes from falling. His fists were shaking at his sides as he looked up into the sky where the battle between two 'captains', one of the Vizards and one of the Hollows, was going on. "Aizen…" he spat with as much venom as he possibly could. The man was going to pay for this!_

_The Substitute Shinigami reached for the sword he let fall to the ground after seeing Hyori's body and was about to jump into the sky to help Shinji when something else caught his attention: a blade flying rapidly towards his friend, coming from the silver haired man who stood alone._

'Shit!_' Ichigo thought as he used shunpō and blocked the blow. He could see Ichimaru raise his eyebrows at him, as if asking what he was doing. He didn't answer as he stood his ground firmly, determined not to let it get any closer to Shinji and Aizen. He would not allow another of his friends suffer such terrible death if he could help it._

"_Well, if it isn't the Ryoka from last time" Gin said with his fox-smile still in place. A vein popped up on Ichigo's forehead, but he didn't reply as he suddenly saw three people beside him. Two men and a girl. It was Love, Lisa and Rose._

"_Hey, Ichigo, leave that guy to us" Love said as he stood behind the orange head and raised his sword, ready to block Shinzō if Ichigo moved away._

"_There's someone else waiting for you, Ichigo. Don't let this guy stop you. We'll take care of him" Lisa said, drawing her own Zanpakutō._

"_Trust us on this one, Ichigo" Rose sang as he took a stance. The youngest Vizard sent them a look before nodding._

"_Be careful, he's strong" he said before using shunpō to get away, the last thing he hear being Ichimaru's sword clashing against Love's._

_Without wasting any more time, Ichigo turned his head towards Aizen and Shinji. The Vizard-captain looked pretty beaten up, and the orange haired Substitute Shinigami was sure he couldn't last much longer. Raising his Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo summoned all the power he could before sending a devastating Getsuga Tenshō, just as Aizen moved behind Shinji. The attack seemed to collide with its target and an explosion occurred centimeters behind the blond Vizard. Ichigo quickly used shunpō to get in front of him, and it was a good thing he did, for a second later a blade came out of the smoke and crashed against his. The brown haired traitor seemed completely unharmed and the 'Strawberry' scowled._

"_Leave him to me, Shinji" he said to the blond man behind him. "You're no longer in condition to fight him" while this was true, Shinji still looked like he was about to protest, but Ichigo didn't allow him to. "Get healed, then come and lend me hand" he said simply before jumping forward and engaging battle, not giving Shinji another chance to say anything._

_What happened next was just a haze of images, emotion and sounds, for he and Aizen moved far too quickly to distinguish anything around themselves. Getting distracted wouldn't be good for Ichigo anyway._

_As it was, he didn't notice when a Garganta opened again, revealing Chad, Ishida, Orihime and Rukia, as well as Kenpachi, Byakuya, Kurotsuchi, Nemu. Isane and Hanataro weren't far behind them. But the Substitute Shinigami didn't notice any of that, nor did he notice the help his friends tried to bring him. He didn't see Love and Rose fall, didn't see Lisa retreat or two of the new arrived captains of the sixth and eleventh squad taking her place. He didn't hear Rukia call out to him, didn't hear Inoue's crying when the girl found out she was needed but was not there in time. Ichigo didn't realize any of that, concentrating solemnly on his battle as he donned his mask as Aizen finally activated his Bankai when he realized that his Shikai had no affect on his opponent._

_The battle only got faster and fiercer from here on, so Ichigo didn't have any idea Shinji had tried to join him just as Kensei did after finishing off Wonderweiss and getting Orihime to heal him. He was not aware of his Quincy friend's and Chad's futile attempts to help him from afar. The youngest of the Vizards did not know that Kurotsuchi and even Head-Captain Yammamoto joined the fight now as well. There was only him and Aizen, and the boy could, to his greatest surprise, say that up until now, they were evenly matched._

_However, things got ugly when Aizen donned his own Hollow mask and almost cut him to shreds with his reiatsu alone. Still, it didn't take long for the traitor-captain to land a hit and soon, Ichigo was falling several feet down, the sounds from other battles finally reaching his ears as his eye-lids closed slowly. However, he forced them open when he heard a familiar voice call out his name._

"_ICHIGO!"_

_It was only now that he noticed that Rukia and the rest of his nakama had arrived from Hueco Mundo. But all he could see was Rukia's face, not so far away from his own. She looked scared, terrified even, and didn't seem to bother to hide it. Ichigo felt sudden pain in his heart. Was she scared because of him? Was she afraid to lose him, just like he feared to lose her whenever she fought and he was not with her?_

_He had known and accepted quite a while ago what his feelings for Rukia were, but he never actually had the guts to tell her… and now it was too late. He could feel life slowly leave his body and used his last remaining strength to try and reach out to the raven haired Shinigami. Their fingertips touched for a while, but she was unable to catch him and as she stopped to pull both of them up like she hoped to, he continued to fall. But this millisecond their fingers touched… he was sure he heard a voice in his head. It didn't belong to his other self or to Zangetsu, but he was sure it wasn't Rukia's voice either._

Don't die_ it had said._ Don't die!

"_Why do you fight?" another voice said in his head. It was slightly familiar, but he couldn't tell exactly who it belonged to. "Why do you fight, Ichigo?"_

'Because I… I want to protect my friends… I want to protect everyone_' he thought. But something told him that wasn't is only reason. And as suddenly his talk during his fight with Grimmjow resurfaced in his mind, he finally accepted what he had been trying to deny for a long time._

'And also… because I enjoy it_' he said. It was true, as much as he wanted to make sure everyone was safe, he also enjoyed fighting, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because during a fight he felt strong, maybe because of the excitement. He didn't know why, but he certainly enjoyed fighting. That's why he battled Grimmjow in the first place, instead of trying to get Inoue away as soon as he could move. That's why he never backed out of a challenge. That's why he wanted to be a Soul Reaper._

"_Good answer, Ichigo" the voice whispered again and suddenly the carrot-top felt as if a door was opened inside his mind. He was no longer afraid of __**that**__ thought. He was ready and he was going to use his new-found power. He would not back down. Not now, not ever. The battle would only be over once he died and right now, he was still able to hold onto his sword. Indeed, it was far from over._

_As he felt new strength flow in his veins, he quickly turned around and focused his spiritual pressure, stopping a few meters away from the ground. Then, he pronounced one word he never thought he'd be saying._

"_Ressurección."_

_The next part of the battle was even more of a blur than before. He remembered using shunpō to get back to his opponent and attacking immediately, not giving Aizen a chance to recuperate from the shock to see the Shinigami alive. But the memory of the rest fight was just a blur of colors and sounds, for they moved too quickly for even themselves to comprehend what was happening around them. Ichigo only understood that at some point, Aizen has used his full Hollow form as well._

_His Ressurección has healed his previous wounds, but the ones he received now were not healed. As time passed, both fighters started to feel the fatigue from the long fight. Most of Ichigo's friends were long since on the ground, but the few that were still standing kept Gin away from interrupting them._

_Aizen laughed suddenly and the orange haired boy raised an eyebrow, but his mask hid that fact perfectly._

"_I never thought that a human turned Hollow could be that strong" the man said. "But it's time to bring your Hollow into submission again and wake up, kid" he continued as he attacked. Ichigo blocked the blow, albeit with some difficulty._

"_If you think I've lost it" Ichigo breathed, trying not to sound as tired as he in reality was. "Then you're wrong. I'm in complete control of my actions… which is the only reason why you're still in front of me and not on the ground" he yelled. That was true. While he was in control of his new Hollow form, the Substitute Shinigami was actually far away from being able to draw as much power as he proved to posses as he fought Uluquiorra in this form. Still, it had to be enough to finish Aizen._

_They attacked at the same time, both landing a hit on the enemy. A strong explosion occurred, getting the attention from everyone. Ichigo almost bent to one knee from exhaustion and blood loss, but remained standing as his Ressurección turned to dust, revealing his face. Aizen's Hollow form shattered as well and even his 'kind' smile was whipped from his face, giving place to surprise._

"_How can you still be standing with all those injuries? You should be dead by now" He said. Ichigo couldn't stop the smirk that made its way to his lips as he responded._

"_If you think these little cuts will take me down… then you're dead wrong. No matter how many times you cut me, I'll keep getting back up until you're the one lying at my feet" was the Substitute's answer, as he referred to the 'minor injuries' covering his body, while in reality, he was a bit surprised he could still stand himself. He was far from being all right. Bur there was no way he would admit defeat to this guy._

"_Why do you keep fighting? Don't you see it's futile? What would you obtain by killing me, anyway? The apprehension of Soul Society? A certain girl's heart?" The mocking smile was back, plastered onto Aizen's face and Ichigo felt suddenly very irritated. But he knew better than let himself be provoked._

"_Shut up" He replied fiercely, trying to control his anger. He didn't bother asking himself why he was so pissed. He knew the reason._

"_You must know there's no benefit for you if you killed me. So what's the point in keeping resisting? Why can't you just give up? Why are you clinching to life so desperately when it's obvious that it'll only bring you more pain? Why can't you just die and end your suffering?"_

"_Because I made a promise."_

"_A promise?" Was it just him, or was Aizen _really_ surprised to hear that answer? Was it really that uncommon?_

"_I vowed that I will defeat you. I gave my word that once it was all over, I would come back to her. I promised her I wouldn't die while fighting someone like you. And so, no matter what happens to my body or soul, I can't die. I WON'T DIE!" That wasn't entirely true. He never promised Rukia anything of the sort. But he did promise this to himself, along with the vow to confess to her once this was all over. So no matter what happened to him, no matter how badly beaten he was or how seriously the traitor wounded him, Ichigo couldn't allow himself to die._

_Aizen laughed at his speech, and the look in his eyes irritated the orange haired boy to no end, but he still tried his best to control himself. And it was a good thing he did, or else he would have probably died in the end._

"_You know, I thought that you were pretty impressive at first" the man with glasses said as he lazily raised his sword again. Ichigo took a fighting stance once more. "But upon closer inspection, you prove to be only a big talk" the man continued as that annoying smile of his got brighter. "One last blow, one that wouldn't take any effort at all" he said, raising a single finger in the air. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this. "It will be all I'll need to finish you off."_

_If Ichigo had any time to lose by being distracted, he would have laughed. This guy was seriously underestimating him and he was going to pay the price for it. Of that, the orange haired Vizard would make sure._

_He didn't exactly know how he did it. He just attacked, but his body moved much faster that he even thought possible. It was as if it was moving on its own, although Ichigo was sure that his Inner Hollow had not taken over. Whatever he was doing, it was his own doing._

_And next thing he knew, he was standing in front of his enemy, his blade impaled into the older man's stomach. Not waiting for the other to strike as well, he quickly turned his blade and forced it out of his target, cutting through Aizen's body like through butter. There was no way even that monster could survive a wound this serious. It was over._

_Suddenly, the traitorous captain reached out and grabbed his shihakusho and leaned much too close for Ichigo's liking. He was still smiling._

"_It's amazing… what the Hogyoku is capable of… don't you think?" he breathed into the young Vizard's ear before letting go. Ichigo just stood there in mid air, glancing down at the ground where his opponent's body was lying, trying to figure out what the older man had meant, but no explanation came to his mind. All was still. Then, he heard several people scream something about Ichimaru fleeing, but his mind refused to register what was happening as the young boy dropped his sword and fell to his knees. He could hear several people calling out to him, but he wasn't able to respond as the gravity of his wounds was finally registered by his mind and body, but the carrot-top did not lose consciousness, grasping onto his last bits of it, in an attempt to stay conscious._

_About ten minutes later, High-Speed Regeneration took care of him, just as Hanatarou arrived at his side in order to heal him, but happened to be slightly too late._

_[End of Flashback]_

"And where exactly is that complication now?" Shinji's angry voice brought Ichigo back from his memories and the carrot-top smiled bitterly at his friends, remembering what they had been talking about and what had happened then.

"Dead" he answered simply, quickly regaining his composure and replacing the bitter smile with his signature scowl. He could see the four remaining Vizard's raise eyebrows at his statement.

"You killed him?" Lisa finally asked, as if refusing to believe that simple truth. Ichigo nodded.

"Didn't do it alone though. Renji and Yumichika helped me out… The lieutenant of the sixth squad, the one with the red hair and a guy who seems obsessed with beauty" he clarified. Shinji flashed him a smile.

"Well, good to know you got rid of the nuisance, Ichigo" the captain of the Vizards said as he patted the carrot-top on the back and Ichigo smiled back, leaving out the fact that he actually died with the man he killed. Like he said before, he was not going to let his friends know what he had become if he could help it.

"_**It seems that you're forgetting, Ichigo, they aren't as different from you as others. The Vizards have Inner Hollows as well"**_ Zangetsu's voice suddenly filled his mind. The Zanpakutō-spirit seemed to disapprove of his choice. Ichigo sighed mentally.

'_They have Inner Hollows, but they aren't actually Hollows. Hollows are their enemy. And I __**am**__ a Hollow_' he responded to his master. It was Zangetsus turn to sigh.

"_**Only partly Ichigo. You're still a Shinigami nevertheless"**_ the old man said. The orange haired hybrid ran a hand through his head as he this time let out a vocal sigh, but ignored the questioning looks he got from the Vizards.

'_That doesn't change the fact I'm more of a Hollow than a Shinigami. Let's face it Old Man, I was never a full-fledged Shinigami, but I certainly have been a Hollow for a while. A real one, not just gone berserk. A real Hollow_' he thought bitterly, the gravity of what had happened only now reaching him. Then, he actually felt like he had been slapped on the head. Could Zangetsu mentally hit him?

"_**I do not know how that changes anything, Ichigo. What is in the past, is in the past. You aren't a Hollow now. You are a Shinigami, my presence here is the proof of it. You are not a Hollow, although you do posses Hollow powers. But the Vizards do as well, do they not?"**_ To this Ichigo found no answer, and he was also saved by a slap on his shoulder. He turned his head to glance at Shinji.

"Hate to interrupt your conversation with your sword, Ichigo, but I'd like to have a few answers from you, and I doubt I can get them if your Zanpakutō keeps you occupied. So, care to listen for a while?"

It was somehow unlike Shinji. Sure, the man had always seemed serious to Ichigo, but the half-Shinigami half-Hollow had a feeling that this time, he was even more serious than normally. So the orange haired boy only nodded in response.

"_**You can use that conversation to tell them. They will not hate you for it. Them and you, you're very alike. Don't push them aside, Ichigo. You're not alone"**_ Zangetsu whispered into his mind before backing off again and leaving Ichigo to deal with the Vaizards.

"So, let's start from the beginning. I'll ask again, for I asked you several times already, but I figured you didn't hear me" Shinji said, his signature grin coming back to his features. "Why have you come? Was it just because of the Hollow?"

Ichigo shook his head. It was not why he came and now he finally realized that whether he liked it or not, he had to tell the Vizards the truth. How else would he explain that he wanted to stay with them, if he could just go back to his family? He couldn't throw everything on training… although seeing how ridiculously strong that Hollow just now was, it might be good if he got stronger still.

Sighing, the carrot-top threw his cowl back, letting the light reflect itself in the bits of his mask. Suddenly, unnatural, heavy silence filled the room.

"It happened after my fight with Ichimaru" the hybrid said, vaguely answering the unasked question that hung in the air. "While it's true that I killed him, he actually took me down with him and I was actually dead. But instead of really dying, I became a Hollow. I don't remember much from that state, I wasn't really in control of my own mind. It felt like I was sleeping for a long while. And when I 'woke up' I was already an Espada."

He fell silent after that, awaiting his verdict. The Vizards' reaction surprised him to say the least.

"So, now you are even more of a Hollow than before, than any of us, yet you still look like yourself, act like yourself and I'm pretty sure you are the Ichigo we knew. Pretty impressive if you ask me" Kensei said, smiling lightly.

"Man, no wonder you are this strong. I kinda envy you, kid" Lisa smirked at him and he almost let his jaw drop. This was certainly not the reaction the carrot-top expected.

"But it must be hard on you. It was hard for us, and we only have an Inner Hollow. It must be really hard to deal with thinking that you're a Hollow yourself… partially at least. But don't worry, Ichigo. We understand" Hachi added, his ever present gentle smile still in place. The former Substitute Shinigami couldn't help but grin back. It was a relief to know that he was accepted so easily. The boy had a feeling he heard Zangetsu snicker a 'what did I tell you?' quietly, but couldn't be certain.

"That still doesn't tell me why you are here though, Ichigo. You need to be more precise than that, my friend" Shinji's grin vanished, replaced by a serious expression on his face instead. However, his eyes did not show anger, hatred or anything of that sort.

"Can Nel and Itsygo stay here?" Nel butted into the conversation, reminding the orange haired boy of her presence on his shoulder. Seriously, she was so light that Kurosaki sometimes forgot she was even there.

"Who's that?" Shinji asked, ignoring Nel's question. Ichigo cleared his throat.

"Her name is Neliel Tu Oderschvank. She's… well, she's an Arrancar, but she's a friend of mine. She saved my life during the war, back in Hueco Mundo. Twice" the half-Shinigami half-Espada explained quickly and Shinji nodded, which Ichigo understood as an 'alright, I trust you'. Then, the hybrid pointed at Nigaru, who was standing nearby.

"And the guy over there is Nigaru. He's my Gikkongai and he's using my gigai right now" to that, Lisa rose an eyebrow.

"What do you need a gigai for? I mean, I'm sure Urahara still has your body, so why use a gigai instead? A one that definitely doesn't look like you at that?"

Ichigo chuckled, though it was a hollow chuckle, as he answered her.

"The answer to that is also the explanation why I came to you" he said, and once he was sure everyone's attention was on him, he continued. "Well, since pretty much everyone thinks I'm dead, I can hardly be seen in my natural body after a year or so of being dead, that's why I got myself a gigai. Plus, my reiatsu is much more Hollow-like now" He didn't need to say anything more about that. The Vizards understood perfectly.

"A Reiatsu concealing gigai that doesn't even look like you, so you can move around freely, then" Hachi summarized perfectly and Ichigo nodded. The captain of the Vizards mentioned for Ichigo to go on.

"As a consequence, naturally, I can't stay at my own house forever. I tried, and it even worked for two months before I ran into Renji and got kind of kicked out. Needless to say that stupid dickhead sees an enemy in me, despite seeing that I destroy Hollows, not Shinigami" Lisa nodded in understanding, while Kensei snorted.

"That would be just like orders from Soul Society. They probably felt your Hollow reiatsu and decided that you were a possible thread to them. As such, you have to be exterminated immediately. I've known that before."

Ichigo didn't have to ask the other man what he meant. The Vizards were hunted down by Soul Society just because they had an Inner Hollow, despite the fact that they could control it or that they actually used to be Soul Reapers before. To Genryusai Yammamoto, these minor details were unimportant, unfortunately. Even the more reason for Ichigo not to tell his friends he was alive. If he had survived Ichimaru, he wanted to use that. Not spend the rest of his days in hiding like a hunted criminal.

"But that Renji-guy is your friend you said, right? Why not tell him the truth? He wouldn't attack you if he knew who you were" Hachi offered and Ichigo looked away, slightly uncomfortable.

"I'd rather not have any of my friends know that I'm alive. I think it's better if they just think I'm dead" he said quietly. He didn't notice the concerned look Lisa shot him, since he was now looking at the ground.

"What about Rukia. Did you tell her?" she asked, both concerned and curious. Hearing that question, Ichigo looked up, his eyes betraying the pain he was going through as he answered her question.

"Rukia is the last person I want to have knowing" he said simply. The last female Vaizard gaped at him.

"But…" she was interrupted as Shinji put a hand on her shoulder to silence her, while shaking his head in a no. The girl pouted, but wasn't allowed to say anything as Shinji whispered to her quickly:

"Don't push him further. Can't you see? He's sacrificing himself for the girl he loves! How do you think she would feel if she knew he was alive, but they could never be together? Trust me, if Ichigo is keeping it a secret from her, he's doing it in order to save her suffering. And personally, I think he's doing the right thing."

The pain of not being able to be with the one you love. Shinji knew how that felt. He has lived with that pain for a year now. He didn't want to imagine what it would feel like to know that you couldn't be with your love… yet that he or she was still alive. He didn't even want to think what kind of pain that would bring.

"Hey, Ichigo" Shinji called to the orange haired boy and smiled at him as the latter looked up again. "Welcome home."

Kurosaki flashed a grin of his own, even though it did seem a bit forced.

"Thanks, Shinji" he said and the blond man only answered with a 'don't bother' gesture. Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "However, I have also another thing to ask."

As Shinji raised his eyebrows in question, Ichigo grabbed Zangetsus hilt and unsheathed his katana. Sensing his intentions, Nel jumped off his shoulder, murmuring something about training with Nigaru in the meantime.

"Why don't we train together? Just like old times" he said, a smirk spreading across his features. Shinji responded with a grin of his own as he too took his sword. Kensei and Lisa did the same, while Hachi just stood there. The giant had a Zanpakutō, but he wasn't going to use it. His specialty was kidō after all.

"Don't expect us to go easy on you" Kensei warned, smirking as well. So was Lisa. That damn grin was infectious!

Ichigo chuckled at the former captain of squad nine's comment.

"I never asked or expected you to" he answered. '_But I certainly will try and go easy on you_' he added in his thoughts.

* * *

**IMPORTANT:**

**First thing's first, so I'll start with the stuff that concerns this story only. **

**You see, now the introduction to what will be going on is finally over and the real story begins. As you definitely already noticed, the Hollows have gotten extremely powerful, for whatever reason, so our heroes need to get stronger as well. And since I'm not planning on making Ichigo some kind of God, he isn't the only one to get stronger. Now, what I need your help with, is deciding what exactly I'll do to make them stronger. I don't want to overdo it after all. So, I'll list my ideas here, and would like you to tell me in your reviews which I should use, and which I should drop. If you have your own ideas, tell me as well :3 Here we go:**

**Rukia:**

**Well, I was basically planning on teaching her one more dance (just because I like pair numbers and she only has three), and maybe (a BIG maybe) let her achieve Bankai at some point. Other than that, she would just improve her, Zanjutsu, Hohō (shunpō) and kidō.**

**Renji:**

**The guy many make a Captain, just because he has Bankai. Now, how to make him stronger? Easy. I would gladly let him figure out some weaknesses of his Bankai, so that he can improve it. I was also thinking about teaching him a new technique, which he could only use in Bankai form, a bit like Byakuya's Shuukei Hakuteiken.**

**Uryū:**

**There isn't much I can do with him, I guess, so he would just improve his agility and archer-abilities. He'd probably get better at using Seeleschneider like a sword, but that would be about it.**

**Orihime:**

**Since she only has Tsubaki as an attack, I was thinking of three things: a new, stronger technique for said 'lone God', a secondary ability for her shield, and another secondary ability for her healing. The shield would be able not only to repel attacks, but even throw them back at the enemy, while the healing could also kill, by accelerating the spread of the damage, instead of rejecting it (so pretty much the opposite ability) like it always does.**

**Chad:**

**First of all, the guy is going to be able to activate his both arms without any problem even in the World of the Living. Second of all, his blows are more powerful and he can do more of them. And third, there could be a technique that could instantly kill any enemy it hit. However, since it's that strong, he would only be able to use it once per a few battles.**

**The Vaizards:**

**They'll get more time to keep their masks on, instead of some lousy three minutes or something around that. Other than that, I admit I don't have much of an idea, so I'm open to suggestions.**

**Ichigo:**

**A lot of ideas for this one, so I really need your help to decide what to do and what to leave out. But one thing, he'll learn for sure, then I'll need it for the story later on. Anyway, as for Ichigo's possible power-ups: one more new technique to use in Shikai (or Bankai, just like Tsukinowa and Getsuga), Cero (like the Vaizards), a second Bankai-release (like the thing with swords surrounding the fighters that Byakuya has), a special technique for Bankai only, a technique other than Cero learned from his Hollow.**

**OK, that's that for that problem. Next is some info. This chapter was the last of the 'Ichigo & Shirosaki' series, also marking the end of the 'introduction' to the story as well as the end of the presentation of the somewhat new Ichigo. So, for those who're interested, here a small recapitulation of what you should have figured out about our carrot-top by now.**

**1. He is in better control of his Hollow powers now, since he's kinda an Espada. He can also draw more power from his inner self, something he was unable to do before.**

**2. He finally accepted the truth about himself (which made it easier for him to fight). He knows for fact that he fights to protect those he cares about, but also accepts the fact that he seeks out battle just for the fun of fighting. This gives him a better control of his strength, and so he's no longer afraid to unleash his full power, knowing that he'll never hurt his friends.**

**3. Despite telling himself (and everyone else who knows the truth), that he doesn't want his friends and family to know that he's still alive, he actually wouldn't mind them knowing, the Soul Reapers being the only exception, Rukia in particular.**

**4. The only reason he's holding his power back to the lowest possible level is that he doesn't want to affect the Real World, or get found out by Soul Society. However, he's now planning to raise that lowest possible level, since he sort of forgot (and yet still remembers at the same time) that he has much more power in stock. He's doing that so that he doesn't have to use Shikai or resort to removing his bracelet while fighting anther Hollow in front of his friends, 'cause he fears Rukia (and the others) would recognize him.**

**DONE! Now, the last, short info, concerning my up-coming story: check out my profile :3 There's a poll there that should interest you.**

* * *

**I got a record there. Over 1000 words of nothing more but an A/N. My God. As defense of myself, I'll tell you that without it, the chapter has over 11 000 words, so I kept my promise and the chapters are getting longer bit by bit XD**

**And now that I'm finally done blabbing, would you mind leaving me a review? If you don't, please do so. I'll be glad to respond to it :]**


	7. Getting Stronger

**Well, here it is, chapter seven guys XD And I can proudly say that I'm still keeping my promise. This chapter marks 11500 words. 500 more than the last one. Do I get cheers or not? Hehe, just kidding.**

***Looks at traffic info***

**42 Favorites and 37 Alerts? You guys are too sweet :] and almost sixty reviews already too *gives bear hugs to everyone who wishes one***

**Ooooh, imagine if all those 47 people who put this into their favorites would review this chapter… how much reviews would that make? *thinks…***

***looses consciousness from awe at the dream that will probably never come true***

**Anyway, here you go. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review, would you?**

**Reader's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

_Hollows speaking_

"**This is** **hollowfied Ichigo (aka Ichigo in Ressurección form) speaking**"

**Once again, ENJOY XD**

_**And as always, thousand thanks to romancejunky for beta-ing. You're the best :3**_

* * *

_Chapter 7 – Getting Stronger_

Ichigo swiftly jumped to the side, avoiding another one of Shinji's attacks before he attacked himself. They've been going on like that for a week now without even a single pause. Seven days of constant fighting. Sometimes Ichigo would ignore Shinji and send a kidō at Kensei, who was nearby, to which Hachi would send a spell at Shinji. That way they switched partners easily and everyone fought with everyone. Right now, Ichigo was stuck with Shinji again and to be completely honest, he was getting bored.

"Hey, Shinji, either you release you sword or I'll be switching again!" the hybrid called as he avoided another attack. The Vizard captain didn't respond to which the orange haired boy narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong, Shinji? I thought you weren't going to go easy on me? Or is that all you've got?"

"If you're trying to provoke me, you're doing really a bad job there" Shinji replied as he attacked again. His eyes widened ever so slightly as Ichigo blocked his sword with his seemingly bare hand (for the first time since they began training) and attacked with his blade. The blond man quickly used shunpō to evade the slash.

"I'm not provoking you, just trying to make you stop holding back" the hybrid replied calmly as he rested his sealed sword on his shoulder. Shinji grinned.

"If you want me to go all out" the blond man said. "Then I'm afraid you'll have to do the same. I'm sure you're holding back also."

Ichigo paled lightly, but the color quickly returned to his features as he took a fighting stance once more. He was about to somewhat agree to Shnji's offer, but a female cry stopped him from doing so. It was Lisa who was apparently fed up with Kensei and decided to take on Ichigo instead. Her Zanpakutō was released.

Ichgo swiftly brought his blade in front of him, blocking her assault in the last second. However, he didn't push her back, deciding to retreat himself instead.

"Nice timing. I was getting bored with Shinji there" he said. Lisa smirked at him.

"Release your Zanpakutō, Berry-boy" the female Vizard teased, stealing Mashiro's nickname for Ichigo. The half-Shinigami half-Hollow felt a vein pop on his head, but somehow managed to keep his cool.

"I'd rather not. I don't need to release it" he said and earned himself a heated glare.

"Suit yourself" was the girls answer as she charged at him again. They kept going like this for a while longer when suddenly a certain feeling caused them all to stop mid attack, mid block or, in Hachigen's case, mid kidō.

"A Hollow again" Kensei said, looking in the direction of the stairs before glancing at Ichigo and back at the stairs.

"Quite a few are appearing as of late. I don't like it" Shinji agreed. "Let's go take care of it…"

"No."

The short word made all the Vizards stop in their tracks as they turned to get out. Their eyes widened when they realized who it was that told them to stay. Since when did Ichigo want to stay out of a fight?

As if sensing their disbelief, Ichigo sighed.

"First of all, the others are already on their way to take care of it" he said, by 'others' meaning his friends… or ex-friends. "And since it's not that strong, they'll handle it. Besides, they think I'm their enemy, and that should stay this way. So I can hardly show up every time there's a Hollow and then vanish without fighting them. And I certainly don't want to fight them."

He was well aware of the fact that his actions were very out-of-character for him, but he didn't care. He just learned to trust in his friends' strength, that was all. And he was sure they'd be fine. They were fine all the while he was gone, they would be fine now. They were strong. At least he hoped they were.

"And if you go out there, there's no way Soul Society won't notice. And once they do, their chase will begin. I doubt any of us want that" he finished, looking at his friends. They were still gaping at him like he was an alien. Kensei was the first one to speak.

"Never thought I'd get that kind of lecture from Kurosaki Ichigo: the Shinigami known for his stupid selflessness and his never breaking will to protect everyone and anyone as if they weren't capable to fight themselves" he said with a smirk and Ichigo scowled at him.

"Shut up, Kensei. It's not like I don't worry. I just have faith that they'll manage on their own. They're strong" Ichigo retorted. Lisa still eyed him suspiciously, but didn't object.

"Let's get back to training then" she said simply as she suddenly charged at Hachi, while Ichigo suddenly found Kensei's fist slammed into his blade.

"I'll be your opponent now" the man said and Ichigo smirked in response.

"Fine. And I'll be the one to kick your ass" he responded as he used shunpō to get behind the other Vizard. The fight was once again on.

XxX

"Hadō thirty-three! Sōkatsui!" Rukia yelled as her spell flew towards the Hollow. The blue flame hit the lost soul square in the mask and soon the monster disappeared into nothingness as the raven-haired Death God landed lightly on her feet.

"He didn't show up this time either" Renji said as he approached her. "You think he left Karakura for Hueco Mundo?"

"I don't know. But we should still stay, just in case he comes back. Orders are orders" the petite girl replied. The redhead sighed.

"This guy is starting to seriously get on my nerves. First he doesn't stop showing up, then, when we finally want to meet him, even if it's just to kick his butt, he has to go and vanish on us. He's driving me insane" the lieutenant of the sixth division complained. Rukia couldn't help but laugh lightly. It was a hollow laugh, but Renji didn't seem to notice.

"What else did you expect? It's usually this way. Enemies don't go out and tell you 'here, I'll hand you my ass over so that you can kick it'" she mocked him. Renji let a small smile appear on his lips.

"Hey, one can always dream, right?" he asked innocently. Rukia kicked him in the shin as a result.

XxX

Ichigo sheathed his sword and sat on the ground. They were finally taking a break. Not that he was tired, but he was definitely hungry. Seven days and a half of fighting non-stop did that to you.

'_But it paid off. I feel stronger already_' he thought to himself.

"**Think you can handle a little more, King?" **Tsuchiro asked him in his head and Ichigo's amber eyes snapped open before a frown found its way onto his face.

'_Yeah, I can. Why are you asking?_' he asked his other self. The carrot-top could swear that he heard his Inner Hollow chuckle.

"**I was thinking of teaching you something interesting, but if you're not interested…"**

'_Bring it on, Tsuchiro. I'm ready_' he interrupted. Not a second later he found himself in his Inner World, his mirror image in front of him with his sword drawn and released.

"Let's get started then, King" the Hollow said and charged directly, not waiting for Ichigo to even prepare. The ex-Shinigami blocked in the last second.

"Show me what you got" was Ichigo's calm answer.

~P~O~V~

Lisa stood above Ichigo who appeared to be sleeping and was just about to try and wake him up to get him to eat when she noticed that his eyes were glazed and half open, as if the boy was dead. The last female Vizard knew better than that though.

"Wonder what you'll have to show us next, once Zangetsu is through with you, Berry-boy" She smirked.

"_**You could do the same thing he's doing now. You'll get a lot stronger in individual training than in group-training. What you just did could be considered nothing more than a warm up, Lisa. Or are you tired already?"**_ A voice said in her mind, yet in reality as well. The ex-lieutenant of the eighth division turned around to the source of the voice.

"Haguro Tonbo" she said as her eyes widened. How long has it been since her sword last materialized in the Real World?

"_**Why the surprised face, Lisa? Is it so unnatural for me to be here?"**_ the Zanpakutō spirit asked. True to its name, it was a beautiful dragon with a long neck with a round of spikes coming out of it as if it was wearing a collar. Its head was somewhat quadratic and its ears triangular. It stood on four long legs, about the size of an elephants if not bigger, and yet way more graceful. Its torso was well build and its belly round, but it wasn't big. For a dragon, the spirit was definitely slim, yet not sickly so. The creature had a long, lizard-like tail with a fanned blade at the end, just like the tip of the sword's released form.

Lastly, there were wings. Beautiful, large wings comparable in looks to those of a pterodactyl, only way more beautiful. At the end of the wing's bones were smaller versions of the ball that was on the other end of the swords released form.

The dragon was in the color of iron, except for its wings which were silver. To be honest, the creature looked like it was _made_ of iron. It was not the case though, it only had a metallic color.

"I didn't expect you to come out. We usually talk in our World" Lisa replied calmly. Suddenly, one of those conversations came back to her brain and realization came upon her. "Did you come… because you think I'm ready?" she asked. The dragon lowered its head in a half nod.

"_**You're the one to tell me, Lisa"**_ it replied. The Vizard only nodded in return as she raised her sword, not wasting time in releasing it. The Zanpakutō spirit flew high into the air preparing to attack while Lisa stood her ground waiting. She didn't have to wait long before Haguro Tonbo dove, attacking her from above. Her personal training had finally begun.

~P~O~V~

"Interesting. You think she's fighting her sword?" Kensei asked as he watched Lisa jump this way and that, seemingly attacking empty air. The Vaizards knew better than that though.

"Certainly seems like it" Shinji replied, glancing Lisa's way. "I wonder what Ichigo is doing though" he added, averting his eyes to the seemingly sleeping Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid.

"Looks like he's sleeping. Can't believe it. Is he tired already?" the former captain of squad nine asked in disbelief as his eyes finally found the carrot-top.

"Feel his reiatsu. His consciousness isn't here. He must be in his own world" Hachi corrected. Kensei blinked while Shinji only whistled.

"Guess we haven't seen everything from his grow" he commented.

~P~O~V~

"Bankai! Hihiō Zabimaru!" a yell could be heard in the underground of Urahara Shoten. A giant bamboo-serpent could be seen with a red haired boy in between its body. "Let's go, what do you say?" said redhead asked his opponent. A big set of arrows was his response, but he shielded himself with his Bankai, the arrows too weak to penetrate the hard bamboo.

"You're way too slow, Soul Reaper" someone said behind him and Renji turned around in the last moment to see a new pile of arrows flying his way. He dodged them in the last second and sent the serpent which was his Bankai in the young Quincy's suit.

"You could have killed me you moron!" he yelled angrily as he tried to attack from the side, but Uryū skillfully dodged before disappearing. The lieutenant of the sixth division cursed under his breath as he jumped into the air as quickly as he could, evading the Quincy arrows yet again.

"If I really wanted to kill you, you would be dead several times already, Shinigami" a calm voice said behind him. Renji quickly used shunpō to gain more distance and it was a good thing he did or he would have lost again. But he couldn't help it. The Quincy was just so damn infuriating!

"Calm down, Abarai-san! You won't be able to beat Ishida-san if you let your fury control you" the singing voice of Urahara reached his ears and the redhead felt a vein pop on his forehead. Still, he tried to listen to the ex-captain's wise words as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. Once he calmed himself, he re-opened his eyes, only to see Ishida charging at him with his bow in hand. Swinging the end of his sword, he sent Zabimaru at his opponent. Just like he wanted, the serpent prolonged itself by disconnecting its segments, letting only reiatsu-connection exist. The mouth of the serpent opened.

"Hikōtsu Taihō!" Renji screamed as a red bowl of energy formed in the serpent's mouth. Ishida swiftly jumped to the side, smirking.

"You're too slow, Abarai!" he said as he closed in on his opponent. It was Renji's turn to smirk.

"Oh really? Then what do you say if I do _this_?" he asked as he pulled on the handle of his sword. In response to the motion, the bamboo skeleton whirled around and, much to Ishida's surprise, the head ended up turning right in his direction. It was then that the canon fired.

"Not done yet!" the redhead exclaimed as he saw the Quincy evade the strike, albeit with some difficulty. Byakuya's lieutenant held his sword in front of his chest before swiftly pulling it behind him while his free hand still held one of the segments. "Disconnect!" he commanded.

The serpent fell apart and the segments fell to the ground, leaving Renji seemingly unprotected. Uryū decided to use that as he attacked again, coming at the greatest speed he could muster. But he failed to notice Renji's smirk as suddenly all the segments flew into the air, surrounding both fighters.

"Higa Zekkō" Renji said calmly as the segments launched themselves at the both of them, a great explosion following in response.

~P~O~V~

"Aaaah, Abarai-san got serious I see" Urahara said to himself as he watched the fight continue. "But I must say he improved greatly this last week and a few. Abarai-san is even capable of using his Higa Zekkō more than once already. That's truly remarkable. He got stronger much quicker than I expected him to. If he can take on Ishida-san on equal footing while still having the limiter on…" he trailed off as suddenly an even greater explosion occurred. Apparently, Ishida forgot this was just training and resorted to using Sprenger. The technique was truly devastating, even if it was obvious that the Quincy made it weak enough to not kill his opponent.

"You'd better watch out the next time you have to fight them, Ichigo. They're determined to beat the Hell out of you" Kisuke said silently to himself as the training continued.

"Would you mind breaking up this fight, Urahara? It's time for Renji and me to practice kidō" a certain raven haired Shinigami said and seeing her icy stare, Kisuke didn't waste any time in calling it a day. For Uryū at least.

~P~O~V~

"Santen Kesshun! I reject!" Orihime yelled as another one of Chad's attacks collided with her shield. A few attacks followed before everything grew quiet.

"I think we should stop now" Chad said and Inoue looked up to see him with his arm deactivated. She sighed as she let her shield disappear as well.

"If you say so, Sado-kun" she said quietly. Another day passed, and she felt still just as weak as before. What was it with her that she couldn't train with everyone else like Rukia?

'_It's because I'm afraid to hurt them_' she thought before sighing again. If things kept up like this, she would end up being the burden. Again. And she didn't want that. She wouldn't allow that.

'_I have to become stronger!_' she thought with determination.

XxX

"Not bad, King… Really not bad… That was fun…" Tsuchiro panted as he lay on the building panting and trying to regain his breath. The Hollow had a few burns and other 'minor injuries' here and there, but he would definitely survive. Not that the 'King' was so much better off. Except maybe for the fact that he still wasn't tired enough to collapse.

"I could say the same thing. You've definitely gotten stronger" Ichigo replied with a small smile. He had to admit that for the first time, he actually enjoyed the fight with his other self.

"Heh… Think you'll be able to do that now, King? Or do you need another teaching session?" Tsuchiro teased.

"Come on, as if you could take another session. Thanks, but I'm good. Besides, it's not like you could teach me any better while in here. The technique is meant for 'outside-use' isn't it?" the 'Strawberry' replied. He smirked at the thought of using this new technique in battle. "At any rate, I guess that if we're ever outnumbered, then it will be our enemy who'll be in for a surprise, not us."

"You said it, King. We're definitely gonna kick some asses" his other self agreed. Ichigo chuckled.

"Well, this time I'm really going to take a break" he said as slowly, his Inner World disappeared from his vision, replaced by the blue, fake sky of the Vaizard's underground training room.

"Took you long enough. We were wondering when Zangetsu would be through with you" Shinji said. The blond was sitting beside him, but wasn't looking at him. Following his gaze, Ichigo saw Lisa jumping and running left and right, battling air. But Ichigo quickly figured it out.

"Bankai training?" he asked and the former captain of squad five nodded.

"So, Ichigo, what did your sword teach you? Care to show your new technique?" Kensei asked and the orange haired boy's eyes widened. Was Kensei actually… curious?

"It wasn't the Old Man I was training with" the Soul Reaper-Hollow-Hybrid replied, earning himself three surprised stares. "My Hollow had a thing or two to show me" he clarified indifferently. Now _that_ definitely got Shinji's and Hachi's full attention. The blond man's grin was even wider than usual.

"Oh? And what did he teach you?" he asked. "Cero?" Ichgio shook his head. Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"Bala?" Kensei suggested. The carrot-top shook his head again, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. "Some kind of mixture of both?" The former captain of the ninth division continued his guesses and Ichigo had a hard time not to burst out laughing at some offers. Finally, Kensei gave up.

"You'll see this technique sooner or later" Ichigo reassured him. A sudden explosion of light caught their attention. A calm voice, definitely belonging to Lisa could be heard, although the smoke made it impossible to see her.

"Ryuujin Haguro Tonbo**" she said calmly. As the smoke finally cleared, the three spectators finally got a glimpse of Lisa's newfound power… and they gaped at the intimidating beauty of the full release of Lisa's Zanpakutō.

In her Bankai form, Lisa had a small mask covering her eyes, acting as replacement for her glasses, Ichigo figured, that ascended to her head forming a small crown. She was holding a slightly smaller version of her Shikai form in both hands, but as she saw their curious glances she quickly unfolded them, proving them to be two quite big iron fans. One of them was decorated with red stars, and the other with thunder and storm clouds.

From her back emerged two pterodactyl-like wings, only twice as big and with markings of the kanji signifying 'dragon flame' on the left and the kanji meaning 'tornado' on the right. The wings seemed to be connected to the fans by heavy looking chains, but Lisa seemed to have no problem at all to hold the heavy weapon without losing her balance.

Shinji whistled at the sight.

"Talk about an impressive Bankai" he said with a grin. "But is it as powerful as it looks?" Before he knew it, the blond man was forced a few steps nearer Lisa as Ichigo had kicked him in the back.

"If you're so curious, just fight her and find out. I'll gladly stand back and watch" he said as he sat on a nearby rock. He was tired, that was certain. But he was also content with his training. He could feel it. He was getting stronger. And so were his friends.

Kensei smirked at Ichigo's offer and leaned back as well.

"Come on Shinji. You know I'm curious too" he said simply. Hachi just kept smiling in his gentle way, but he didn't have to say anything in order to make everyone understand that he was interested in the fight as well. The ex-captain of the fifth division sighed as he took his sword once again.

"Alright, let's see what this Bankai of yours can do."

XxX

Karin sighed as she blocked her soccer ball under her leg and looked up in the sky. A few days ago, that was the last place where she saw Tsuchiro and she had to admit that she missed him. He was living with them for only two months, but it felt like he was always there. Like he was part of the family. The black haired girl couldn't explain the feeling, but she knew one thing for sure: Tsuchiro's place was in the Kurosaki household.

The young girl clicked her tongue as she kicked the ball with all her might. It bounced off of the house wall and right back to her. She kicked it again when it was close enough, this time sending it into the air and almost hitting the window to Tsuchiro's room.

She blinked in surprise. What the Hell? The room wasn't _Tsuchiro's_, it was _Ichigo's_ room. And that was a great difference… but somehow the black haired girl couldn't help but think that her new friend and her brother were connected somehow. And instinctively, she just knew that thought was correct.

"Alright, that does it!" Karin snapped to no one in particular, not bothering to keep her voice down. It wasn't like she was disturbing anyone anyway. No one was at home or in the neighborhood, for they were either at work or at school. As for Karin, she and Yuzu had a day off because the teachers were having a walk-out. And Karin was going to use that free day to do something useful.

"I'm going to find him! His place is right here and he's not getting away."

Of course, this proved to be much easier said than done, even if for the simple reason that she had no idea where to start her search. But something as small as that wasn't going to stop her. Her mind was set. She was going to find Tsuchiro and bring him home where he belonged, end of discussion.

She never stopped her search, even for a second, just to think why she felt like his place was in her home or why she wanted him so badly to come back. She just accepted the feeling and followed it.

XxX

Ichigo held back a yawn. Shinji's and Lisa's fight was going on for an hour already and Ichigo was not only rested, but also bored out of his mind. Finally having enough, he stood up and stretched. He heard a small puffing sound and when he turned his head he saw a small cloud of pink smoke. When it vanished, he saw Nel, in her child form, sitting on the ground.

"Nel's tired. Let's take a break, Nigaru" she said. The gikkongai nodded… '_no, not gikkongai. Modsoul_' Ichigo corrected himself in his thoughts. He stole a few glances sometimes at Nel's and Nigaru's training and had to admit, the artificial soul knew very well how to fight. Much better than any gikkongai should. It didn't take long for the half-Soul Reaper half-Hollow to figure out that the soul had to be a modified soul. There was no other explanation.

'_I'll have to thank Hat-'n'-Clogs for that the next time I meet him_' the hybrid noted. Taking in a calm breath, Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu and took a fighting stance, trying to concentrate his reiatsu. Now that he was well rested, it was time to try if he could use his new technique like he was supposed to: outside of his Inner World.

'_Concentrate your reiatsu_' he thought as he felt energy flowing through his entire body. Slowly, his right hand left his Zanpakutō's hilt and traveled slowly to his Espada-sword. '_Prepare to strike and think only of…_'

He was suddenly interrupted as he felt someone approaching him. Breaking his concentration, the Primera Espada's eyes snapped open as he quickly grabbed Zangetsu with both hands again and blocked the incoming attack. It proved to be Nigaru, attacking him bare handed… only that his hands seemed to be made out of metal and they looked quite sharp too.

"Why don't we train together, Kurosaki-sama?" the modsoul asked and Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch.

"Fine by me. But only if you quit the freaking formalities, Nigaru. I told you, I'm not your master" he said with an annoyed huff following his words as his signature scowl placed itself onto his face. Nigaru smiled.

"Alright then. Let's fight, Ichigo" he said with a confident smirk. Ichigo's eyes sparkled in excitement, both his own and his Inner Hollows, as he felt his reiatsu spike up.

"Bring it on" was all he said before they clashed again.

Ichigo had to admit that Nigaru was a formidable opponent. The mod-soul was exceptionally quick and his power to shift his body into anything he wanted proved to be quite a challenge for Ichigo. One second his opponent was made of hard and sharp steel, the next the hybrid's Zanpakutō slashed through water. The fight was getting more and more interesting, but it couldn't last forever. Soon enough, a familiar wind-type attack assaulted Nigaru as Kensei joined the training. Ichigo's scowl deepened, but he wasn't given a chance to complain as his eye caught movement to his left.

The ex-Shinigami quickly turned around and blocked the incoming attack, his blade clashing against an iron fan.

"Your turn to take her on, Ichigo! Have fun!" He could hear Shinji call and cursed under his breath. Lisa smirked at him as she prepared to attack again. Ichigo didn't waste any time to use shunpō and get behind her, where he took his stance, without turning to face her. Lisa scoffed as she sent another fan after him.

"Pierce through the heavens, slice through the skies, reach to the moon then cut it in half" Ichigo chanted as he released his spiritual pressure. While battling a Vizard in Bankai form, Ichigo knew better than stop himself from using at least his Shikai.

"ZANGETSU!" he yelled as he 'unsheathed' his sword and turned to face Lisa. The female Vizard smirked as she quickly jumped into the air, avoiding the devastating wave of spiritual power that Ichigo released, and unfolded her wings. "Alright, Lisa. Show me your new power, why don't you? I'm interested to see what you can do."

"If you're entirely sure…" Lisa looked down on him and her eyes beamed when she saw him nod. Deciding not to let him change his mind, not that she believed he would, she quickly somersaulted and focused her reiatsu in her wings.

"TASTUMAKI NO OKIBI***" she yelled as she landed on thin air again and flapped her wings, sending a powerful wind towards Ichigo, as well as a tornado of flames. If the Death God-Hollow-Hybrid was surprised, he didn't show it. He didn't make a move to dodge her attack either, even though it was moving his way rather quickly. The female Vizard knew better than to be worried about the carrot-top though.

Ichigo smirked to himself as the tornado approached him. It has been quite some time and he was itching to see the true power of his second Shikai/Bankai attack. The power Zangetsu spoke about when he taught it to the hybrid. The power 'coming from the spin'. The ex-Shinigami had a pretty good idea what his Zanpakutō spirit meant, but was itching to see if he was correct nevertheless.

As the tornado continued its' approach, he quickly grabbed the bandage-like cloth attacked to his sword and started spinning it, forming a circle in its trace. He bade the ring bigger than usual and had to focus his spiritual energy to make it smaller as he took the hilt back in his hand and 'threw' the attack. He was slowly getting better at using Moon's Ring he noted. He needed far less time than he used to.

"Tsukinowa Sora o Kiru" he said calmly as the attack detached itself from his released blade and flew directly at the fire-tornado. It cut through the flames effortlessly and dug into the mass of fire, air and reiatsu without coming out in the other side, as if it was stuck. The tornado stopped advancing.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he watched the mix of the two attacks unfold and gasped slightly when he noticed that the flames were being slowly devoured by a bright blue light, definitely coming from his Moon's Ring and that the rotation rate of the tornado was increasing strongly. The orange haired hybrid also noticed a few electric sparks here and there. Amber eyes widened as the true meaning of 'power from the spin' finally sunk in.

"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!" the Primera Espada yelled at the top of his lungs. He hoped the others heard him and listened, but he couldn't check, for exactly in that moment, the tornado of dense reiatsu finally exploded, sending devastating, circular, electric waves in all directions, forcing the supposed-to-be-dead boy to shield his eyes from the bright light and from the dust that was picked up by the wind of explosion. Frankly, Ichigo would have thought he was lucky he wasn't hit, if not for the fact that deep down, he knew this attack would never harm him.

When the tornado finally dissolved and the electric waves vanished, the ex-Shinigami looked around, only to find nothing more but a desert in place of what used to be a training ground in form of a small canyon. Not even one rock was left intact. All that was left was sand.

"What the Hell was that?" he heard a female voice to his right and turned his head to see Lisa. The girl landed on the ground and unfolded her wings, which she previously used to shield herself. Or rather, she unfolded what was left of her wings, for most of them had been blown away by the attack. Her mask was shattered as well and only one fan was left somewhat intact.

"Whatever it was, the power of it was amazing" the hybrid heard Hachi say. He, Shinji, Kensei, Nigaru and Nel had come out of the sand. Luckily, they seemed unharmed.

"Was that what your Hollow has taught you, Ichigo?" Shinji asked in a serious tone and Ichigo shook his head a negative before he sighed.

"That was Tsukinowa" he said. Nigaru's and Nel's eyes widened, while Kensei and Lisa just stared. Shinji narrowed his eyes. Hachi didn't react at all.

"I saw you use Tsukinowa before during training. You used it several times against me. It wasn't that powerful. It didn't even look comparable. It could not have been Tsukinowa" the giant said firmly, but Ichigo shook his head, not agreeing with him.

"That was Tsukinowa's true power" he said simply.

"Please, do explain" Kensei said and Shinji nodded. The orange haired boy scratched the back of his head in discomfort. He hated to be stared at like that.

"When Zangetsu taught me the Moon's Ring, and when I finally learned to control and unleash it at will, the Old Man said that I achieved its primal force. He said there was more to this attack than I had brought up. He said something about its power coming from the spinning" he started as he eyed Lisa, whose Bankai had faded away. It was no wonder though, seeing how beat up it was.

The hybrid briefly thought about how to phrase the next part before speaking up again.

"Tsukinowa is an attack based on rotation, which in addition to the high density of the energy beam it's formed from raises its power greatly. But its true power is enhanced when used as counter for other rotation-based attacks, like Lisa's Blazing Fire Tornado. Moon's Ring takes over whatever rotation-based technique it collides with, turning it into an attack of my own. Since it's a mix of two or more attacks it's extremely powerful, but since it's my Moons Ring that controls it, it's like my own technique" he said. Hachi's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"If this technique is like your own, couldn't you have controlled it to make the damage as small as possible?" the former lieutenant of the Kidō Corps asked kindly. Once again, the ex-Shinigami shook his head a negative.

"Once it's enhanced, I can control the way it goes or its power just as much as you could control a kidō after firing it" the half-Soul Reaper half-Hollow replied just as calmly.

"I see" Shinji said, more to himself than to anyone else. "Well, at any rate, it was quite impressive. I envy your strength, Ichigo."

The orange haired boy laughed at the comment.

"Trust me, Shinji, there's nothing to be jealous about" he answered. Shinji waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's get back to practice, shall we?" everyone nodded and the training was, once again on.

XxX

"Hey, Ichigo!" Kensei called in between attacks. They had changed partners several times now, and Ichigo was once again teamed up with Kensei. Lisa was training with Nigaru and Shinji was fighting Nel, while Hachi was taking a break. The orange haired hybrid didn't fail to notice that Nel finally seemed to control her transformation.

"What is it?" the carrot-top asked as he blocked another assault with his once again sealed blade.

"You're partially an Espada now, aren't you?" the former captain of the ninth division asked and Ichigo nodded, silently asking himself why Kensei had asked such an obvious question. After all, Ichigo's mask was at full display for quite a while already, since the 'Strawberry' had long since thrown off his cloak for training.

"Well then, do you have a Ressurección?" now that question caught him off guard. Ichigo stopped mid-attack and gave Kensei a quick break-sign. He rested his chin between two fingers as he pondered the question.

'_I suppose we have Ressurección, don't we, Tsuchiro? I mean, you're a Hollow and we're an Espada now… partially at least._' Ichigo asked his other self. His mirror image was quite for a while before responding.

"**Well, I don't know for sure. Never actually tried to use Ressurección… But we had it even before you took your 'nap', King, so I suppose we have a Ressurección form. It would only make sense"** the orange haired boy nodded mentally as he looked back up at Kensei.

"Yeah, I suppose I have it" he said with narrowed eyes. "Why do you ask, Kensei?" somehow, the amber-eyed boy didn't like the smirk on Kensei's face.

"Show it to me" he said and the hybrid widened his eyes. Say… what?

"You want me to do what?" the ex-Death God asked in surprise and well-hidden horror. Unleash Resurrección now and here? That was crazy, nothing more nothing less.

"You heard me, Ichigo. Show me your Ressurección" Kensei said calmly. "I'm sure the others would like to see it too."

Ichigo was about to object when two other voices joined the argument. Two voices other than the remaining (and agreeing) Vizards, Nel and Nigaru. Voices that only he could hear.

"**Oh come on, King, don't be such a killjoy. We'll only see what we can do and if it really works. He hasn't asked you to fight him in this form, has he?"** the hybrid found no answer to that. As he was searching for one, Zangetsu decided to throw in his own two cents.

"_**You shouldn't do it, Ichigo. You could go berserk and accidentally hurt your friends"**_ the Zanpakutō spirit said calmly and Ichigo felt his temper rise quickly.

'_I will never hurt them. No way in Hell am I gonna lose control, and I'm going to prove that, Old Man_' he thought annoyed. Only when he heard his mentor snicker in his head had he understood that this was what Zangetsu was aiming for.

"**Sweet, let's go!"** Tsuchiro cheered loudly and Ichigo sighed.

'_You're both going to pay for this one. Just you wait_' he thought, but he was sure they didn't take him seriously. Hell, even he himself wasn't taking his 'thread' seriously. To be honest, he was curious to find out himself. He didn't even think of the possibility that his threat might come true a lot sooner than he would have liked.

Sighing, Ichigo sheathed Zangetsu and reached for his Espada-sword.

"Fine" he said as he unsheathed it and took a fighting stance, closing his eyes for better concentration. When he reopened them, they were black-golden instead of the warm amber.

Ichigo span his sword above his head, holding it in one hand by the two feathers attached to the tip of the hilt. He didn't have to ask his other self what to do. He just somehow knew. And so, without hesitation, he caught the hilt of the Ōdachi, then put his other hand on it as well. The blade was pointing towards the ground.

"Destroy everything that gets in your way" he said as he quickly fell to one knee and impaled the sword in the ground, screaming its name. "DEMONIO!"

A wave of black reiatsu surrounded him as if he was standing in the middle of a geyser. Everyone shielded their eyes from the sand that was picked up by the wind of reiatsu. When the vision was finally clear again, they all saw what Ichigo's Resurrección looked like.

The top of his Shikahusho was torn away, revealing his well-muscled torso. His feet were naked also and were slightly deformed, just like his hands. They now looked more like claws than human hands or feet. His wrists and ankles had small 'rings' of yellow hair surrounding them and his hair was now waist-long. Ichigo's mask covered his whole head and resembled a cross-over of a bull's and a devil's head. It had two thick, red lines running across it, from the top of his head, through his eyes and down to his chin. Two bent forward horns were sticking out slightly above where the orange head's temples would usually be.

In the middle his chest, there was a hole of good two to three centimeters radius with more red markings starting at its end****.

"Holy Shit" was all Kensei could say as he started at the 'Demon' in front of him. Ichigo's Hollow-sword sure had a fitting name, that much was certain.

"Wow, Ichigo… that looks amazing" Nel (in her adult form) said as she walked around him, marveling at his well-build torso.

Suddenly, Ichigo bent over and grabbed his head, screaming in pain. Nel quickly caught him as he fell to his knees.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" the Arrancar girl asked in concern. Nigaru and the Vizards also gathered around them.

"**It hurts**" Ichigo gasped as he suppressed another pained cry. Something was definitely wrong. "**It hurts**" he repeated as the pain intensified. Nel's eyes widened. She had no idea what could possibly be wrong with him.

'_Damn it, Tsuchiro! What the Hell is going on?_' Ichigo yelled in his thoughts at his other self, trying not to scream in pain. But the hurt was still intensifying, making him feel like someone was trying to crush his head between stones. Not a pleasant feeling.

"**I have no clue! How the Hell should I know. All I know is that you probably should re-seal Demonio. It seems it's our Ressurección that's doing it!"** His Inner Hollow yelled back and Ichigo had no doubt that he was in pain as well. Trying to forget the pain, Ichigo tried to seal his Hollow powers like his instincts told him too. He was sure he was doing it correctly… but it wasn't working.

'_I… can't reseal… it_' the orange head gasped in his thoughts, doing the best he could in staying conscious, but the pain was almost unbearable. It was like nothing he had experienced before. And now it wasn't just his head that hurt, but his whole body. It felt like it was on fire.

"**No way! You have to reseal it, King, or we're both gonna die!"** now his mirror image sounded somewhat panicked, even though it was well masked by the pain evident in his voice. It was clear as day that he too would soon give in to the unbearable pain he was obviously experiencing as well.

'_I can't…_' was all Ichigo replied as he felt his consciousness slip away. He couldn't take it. Whatever it was that was happening to him, it was too much for him to bear. '_Rukia…_' he thought, wishing he could call her to help him. Just this once, he wished she would be there, even if it was for scolding him for his stupidity. He knew that if someone could help him now, it was her. She was always able to make all pain fade away, never inflicting any herself…

"_I don't want to even see you again in my life!_" her voice suddenly rang through his pained mind and his eyes snapped open, although no one could have seen it, for his eyes were concealed in the depths of his mask.

"_Now do me a favor and just get out of my sight! Better even, disappear from my life! I don't want to see you ever again! Now go and don't even bother coming back!_" Ichigo felt his heart break all over again as her words echoed in his mind. Of course, he couldn't call her. She hated him now. It didn't matter that it was a misunderstanding. He wouldn't get the chance to explain everything to her. He wouldn't even get the chance to tell her that he was still alive. What would it bring if he did anyway? She hated him either way.

"_Or maybe I need to spell it out for you? I'm not going to do this, so you better open your ears for this is the last time I say it before making your body do the understanding. Now: get. Out. Of. My. Vision field. And. Do. Not. Ever. Return. I've seen enough of you for a life-time, if not much more._"

The half-Shinigami half-Hollow could feel hot tears stream down his face. The emotional and physical pain was just too much for him to handle. He wanted it to end. He just wanted it to be finally over…

"_**Pull yourself together, Ichigo!"**_ Zangetsu's voice rang through his mind, tuning out every other sound, mainly Rukia's words from the past. _**"Listen to me! You have to seal your sword or your Shinigami and Hollow powers are going to tear you apart from within! You must bring back the balance between the two by sealing Demonio!"**_

'_But how… am I supposed to… do that?_' Ichigo thought as another wave of pain assaulted him, both physical and emotional as Rukia's words replayed themselves in his brain over and over. He could hardly stay conscious, let alone focused on what Zangetsu was telling him. Yet, he put up all the strength he could muster to allow his mentors words to reach him. But no matter how hard he tried, the Zanpakutō spirit's voice was incoherent to him.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain faded away and Ichigo opened his eyes only to see the yellow sand of the training ground beneath him. He was on his hands and knees and he was panting heavily. Demonio was next to him, sealed once more.

"Ichigo!" he heard concerned voiced around him and forced himself to look up to see the Vizards, Nel and Nigaru eyeing him with concern written plain on their faced. They all had their swords in hand. "Are you ok?"

Ichigo nodded slowly as he fell backwards, sitting on the sand.

"Yeah, I think" he said weakly and looked back up at them. It didn't a genius to figure out that they probably attacked him, in hopes that physical damage would force him to reverse Demonio's release. "Thanks" he added.

"Just glad you're alright" Shinji sighed in relief as he collapsed on the ground as well. "You gave us quite a scare" Ichigo winced. He hated to make others worry about him.

"Sorry" he said simply, but the blond man just waved him off. Ichigo slowly lay down on the sand and closed his eyes. He felt extremely tired all of a sudden.

However, he opened his eyes almost immediately when he felt something like a waterfall pour down on him. He was in his Inner World and for the simple reason of rain, he was already drenched.

He didn't have to think twice about the reason for the rain as he recalled Rukia's words. But as they repeated themselves in his mind once more, something else found its way into his head: Rukia's face, with the cold mask of indifference and the eyes that showed a soul that was broken and crushed into the tiniest pieces possible.

He shook his head as he closed his eyes and focused. He knew better than what he thought while the pain clouded his mind. He was almost certain that Rukia didn't hate him. Her eyes showed it, at least if he was reading her correctly, and he was certain he was.

Slowly, as his thoughts on the subject cleared, the rain finally stopped and the sun perked out from the clouds. Ichigo reopened his eyes and turned his head to where he knew Zangetsu and Shirosaki were.

"Finally!" His other self said in content as the rain stopped. The orange haired boy shook his head as he watched the other.

"So, any idea what happened just now?" the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid asked the two other pieces of his soul. His mirror image only shrugged while Zangetsu clearly wanted him to follow. Ichigo quickly stood up and followed his mentor.

"Look down there, Ichigo" the Zanpakutō spirit said as they arrived at the edge of the building. The orange haired ex-Soul Reaper stole a glance at what the spirit of his sword wanted him to see… and froze in awe.

"What… is that?" he asked. The amber-eyed boy had been to his Inner World many times and thought that he's already seen everything there was to see there, that he knew every corner. But what he saw now, he had never seen before.

It was a gigantic skyscraper of bright blue stone, surrounded by black flames, as if desperately trying to keep the light from reaching someone further away. The windows of the blue building were each showing a good view of the room on the other side… only that Ichigo had the feeling that what he saw on the other side of the windows weren't really rooms, but something else.

One of the higher ones showed scenery with a cherry blossom tree covered in snow. Another was closed, not allowing anyone to see what's on the other side of the glass. A painting of a sealed Zanpakutō impaled in the ground through what looked like a lieutenant's badge and on the hilt of which hung a captain's haori was hanging just above it. A third one looked like a photograph out of a book for little children, showing a small castle with a soccer field nearby as well.

Among the lower windows, there was one showing a simple flower field. The one next to it looked like door to a battlefield with quite specific blue arrows sticking out of the ground here and there. One last window that Ichigo paid attention to before he turned back to his sword showed a place that was entirely made of stone, with a hollow's mask and a familiar golden coin lying on the ground.

"This, Ichigo, is your connection to the outside world" Zangetsu said. Ichigo shot him a questioning look, but before he could ask any questions, his sword already continued talking and explaining. "The windows are your connection to your friends. Those who you are closest to may enter this place through these windows like they were doors. And you may enter their world from here as well. Logically, the more close friends you have, the more windows are open or with a special seal, like that one" the dark haired old man said, pointing to the window with the sealed Zanpakutō 'seal'. Ichigo raised his eyebrows.

"And what does this have to do with what just happened?" he asked bewildered. He had no doubt that there was a connection, or Zangetsu wouldn't have brought him here. But what this connection might be, Ichigo had no clue.

"While the windows exist due to your bonds and interactions with others, the skyscraper itself has an entirely different purpose, Ichigo. It represents your powers as a Shinigami and is the reason of this world's sole existence, for normal Humans or Hollows do not have need of an Inner World. And the flames show the expansion of you powers as a Hollow. And as you can see, the flames and the skyscraper are not touching. The balance between them is perfect and they do not interact with each other.

"When you called forth your Ressurección, you were calling forth much more of the Hollow power than the Shinigami power. The balance between the two was disturbed and they crashed, as if fighting for dominance, much like you and Shirosaki did shortly before the War. Had that battle continued longer, the flames would have started devouring the rest of the city. Your Inner World would be destroyed and you would have died." Zangetsu's voice was calm and composed, but Ichigo was well aware of the fact that the Old Man was deep down relieved that nothing of the sort happened. He also had the feeling that it wasn't because Zangetsu was afraid to die himself, but rather was afraid of letting Ichigo die.

"In other words, I shouldn't use my Ressurección or I might end up killing myself?" The orange haired boy asked, not entirely sure what to think of it.

"Not necessarily, King" his Hollows voice reached him from behind and both the 'Strawberry' and Zangetsu turned to the black-and-white 'Ichigo'. "You see, you already used your Ressurección before, once while you were fighting Ulquiorra…"

"That was rather your fight, don't you think, Tsuchiro?" Ichigo interrupted, but he didn't send a glare towards his other self. Had his Inner Hollow not interfered then, he wouldn't be here now. And for that, he was grateful.

"Yeah… A little maybe. At any rate, we used our Ressurección then. We… I mean you used it during your fight with that Aizen guy as well. And I assure you that then, even though you're now more of a Hollow than you were before, the balance between these two powers was the same. And when you became a Hollow, sure the flames intensified, but the building rose as well, so that the balance was preserved. So basically, it shouldn't be any different to use your Resurrección back then and now.

"There's one important difference in the circumstances though, and the Old Man and me think that it might solve the problem. First of all, the two other times you called forth my true power and combined it with your own, first: you were using Bankai and second: you had no restrictions on you, unlike now and I mean that reiatsu-eating bracelet you're constantly wearing. So my guess is that if you take it off and go Bankai, you can easily use Ressurección." The half-Death God half-Hollow raised his eyebrows as he glanced back at the bright blue building.

"But if I use Bankai, won't that disturb the balance as well?" the amber eyed boy asked. The Zanpakutō spirit next to him shook his head.

"If you use Bankai, the flames will just adjust to the power release of your Shinigami powers to keep the balance. But when you used Ressurección just now, the bracelet prevented your natural spiritual energy to balance out the difference" the dark haired man replied and Ichigo nodded.

"Still, you should try and use Ressurección as rarely as possible, King. It would make fights too easy and they would end too quickly… Plus I have a feeling that more might happen than just a bad-balance problem like the one we just had" Tsuchiro said and somehow, the orange haired ex-Shinigami didn't need to ask to know what the other meant. Shirosaki was definitely referring to him hearing Rukia's words again and to the downpour that resulted from it. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. He was almost sure that this had nothing to do with the power-balance-problem.

"Hey, Zangetsu" the hybrid said to get his mentor's attention. When the older man looked down at him, he spoke up.

"You said that the windows were like connections to my friends and other people I'm close to, right?" he asked. When Zangetsu nodded in affirmation, Kurosaki's scowl deepened even more.

"Does that mean that I can hear the thoughts of my friends while I'm here and they can hear mine?" he asked. This time, his mentor shook his head a negative.

"Most people or their Zanpakutō never find the Source, or the Connecting Place as it is called. I assume your friends did not find it, or they would have tried to reach you once they found out that you supposedly died. And if they had tried, they would have known you were alive, for even while you were sleeping, this place did not disappear" the spirit said, and the young boy nodded in understanding.

"Because my Inner World can never disappear as long as I'm alive, right?" he asked, and Zangetsu answered with a short 'correct'. Ichigo sighed in relief that none of his friends have tried to contact him this way. Chances were that they didn't even think of it as possible. And even though the carrot-top wished it was not this way, deep down he knew that it was probably better that way. Mainly because if any of them found out, they would definitely tell Rukia. And that had to be avoided. The orange haired boy didn't want the raven haired girl to suffer more than she already did. That was why he didn't want her to find out the truth, even if her thinking of him as an enemy wounded him deeper than any blade ever could. But if that could spare her even the least bit of suffering, he was ready to do it.

"But I must wonder, how come it hurts so much when the balance now is disturbed while it didn't hurt at all when it didn't even exist. I mean, this building was here even when the flames weren't right? The flames started burning only once I appeared, didn't they, Old Man?" Tsuchiro's voice brought the amber eyed boy out of his thoughts. He blinked before glancing over at his mirror image. The black-and-white 'Ichigo' was correct. He had to be. There was no way Ichigo had Hollow powers before the incident in the Shattered Shaft. As such, there was no way there was any balance of power. And yet, Ichigo never felt something to be odd or wrong. This was the first time.

"I believe that your own power can't destroy you if there's nothing clashing against it. When there was no balance at all, there was also no threat of disturbance. Balance only became essential once the flames started burning and Ichigo gained his Hollow powers, because together with them, a possibility of a 'fight of powers' appeared. And what such a fight brings, we've already felt ourselves" Zangetsu explained calmly. The Inner Hollow clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"But you and I get along without fighting. Me and the King too. Why can't it be the same for those power manifestations?"

Ichigo snickered at the question and Tsuchiro shot him a dirty look. When Kurosaki finally calmed down, he explained his reason for laughter, which was rather obvious.

"You seem to forget, Tsuchiro, that the first times you appeared, you badly wanted to take over my body and you also made Zangetsu a part of yourself. You and I, we weren't any different than these flames and the skyscraper. Only that we fought each other for domination before actually finding a balance and a friendly relationship, while they had balance from the start and it's up to me to keep it, or they'll jump at each other's throats again" the orange head said with a smirk on his face as he looked back at the black flames, before his eyes traveled to one of the windows. The one with the cherry blossom tree covered in snow. Somehow, the former Deputy Death God had a pretty good idea whose Inner World this window led to.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" his other self interrupted his thoughts again. "Still, it took us sometime to find that balance and even when we weren't balanced, it wasn't killing us. How come it does when these two powers clash together? Why is balance so important with them if it wasn't with us?"

"That's because you and I only represent the mind in control of the body, while these two represent the power filling the body and soul. And two powers filling one soul is not natural. It's an artificial status, possible only to obtain through the Hogyoku, isn't it?" the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid asked, recalling what Shinji and Urahara told him about said invention of the latter.

"But I was born 'naturally' wasn't I? I mean, no one ever used the Hogyoku on you, right King?" Tsuchiro asked. Now that got Ichigo thinking. It was true that he was never in contact with the Hogyoku, much less affected by it. So Tsuchiro couldn't be born because of the 'crystal', which only left the option of being 'naturally' born. It would also fit, since the ex-Shinigami's Inner Hollow was born when the former resisted Hollowfication in the Shattered Shaft.

"Kuchiki Rukia was in constant contact with the Hogyoku. That thing was hidden inside her soul" Zangetsu said, as if that had explained anything. When he noticed Ichigo's and Tsuchiro's questioning glances, he sighed.

"The Hogyoku, being hidden within her, was bound to affect her soul and her Shinigami powers, even if it didn't awaken an Inner Hollow. The first time you became a Shinigami, Ichigo, it was because you absorbed Rukia's powers, tainted by the Hogyoku. So, automatically, you were in contact with it. As it affected Rukia's powers, the traces of its ability, hidden inside Kuchiki Rukia's power, probably affected your own soul as well. That was what allowed you and Tsuchiro to coexist, instead of one destroying the other."

Ichigo paled. It wasn't that he didn't believe his Zanpakutō. It was just that something finally hit him, even if it was a bit late, as soon as he realized that Zangetsu was right.

"_It's amazing… what the Hogyoku is capable of… don't you think?_" Aizen's words repeated themselves in his mind. It was only now that Ichigo understood that whatever Aizen had meant, he was referring to the hybrid, not to himself… or maybe to the both of them, that was an option too.

"I wonder… What did Aizen mean when he said those words?" Ichigo asked himself. He sighed when he rather quickly realized that he just didn't have any clue what that monster could have meant. If the carrot-top wanted to find something out, he had to ask Urahara for info… and maybe Shinji if the man knew anything that could help.

Sighing, Ichigo waved the other to parts of his soul goodbye as his Inner World faded away. Next time he opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar, light-orange barrier.

"Wow, that was quick" a female voice said next to him and as he turned his head, it proved to belong to Nel. "We thought you would be out far longer than three minutes" the Arrancar girl continued and Ichigo's eyes almost widened, before he recalled that while in his Inner World, the real time flow could either go by quicker, slower, or stop entirely. "I'm glad you're alright though. Do you know what happened?" she was concerned, Ichigo knew that much. The half-Shinigami half-Hollow sighed as he sat up.

When the others noticed he was awake, they immediately encircled Hachi's healing barrier, as Ichigo quickly explained what went wrong. Shinji nodded his head when the orange head was done.

"I see. Well, it makes sense. Kisuke told us something about being careful about power-balance those hundred years ago. Never had any problems with it though" the blond man said, looking thoughtful. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he averted his gaze.

"That's probably because you never had a restriction placed on you since you became a Vizard" the Soul Reaper-Espada-Hybrid said under his breath, not wanting anyone to hear him. He didn't succeed.

"What restriction?" Lisa's voice reached him from behind and he cursed as the entire room got silent after the rather loud question.

"Restriction? What are you talking about, Lisa?" Hachi asked bewildered and Lisa shot him an annoyed glare.

"Berry-boy here said something about having a restriction, I think" she said, ignoring the death glare Ichigo was sending her now. The strawberry-head sighed in aggravation at the questioning stares he received from everyone except Nel and Nigaru, who knew exactly what he was talking about. Slowly, he raised his arm so that the sleeve fell down to his elbow, revealing the metal-bracelet.

"It's a device constructed by the twelfth division. Basically, it eats away at my reiatsu, lowering my level of power considerably" he explained briefly, not looking at them. He had a feeling what would come next, and he wasn't wrong.

"Take it off" Shinji said as Ichigo stood up and Hachi's healing barrier vanished. The carrot-top shot the captain of the Vizards another glare, but he knew Shinji would not change his mind.

"Only if you can promise that none of this reiatsu will leak outside of Hachi's barrier. The one placed in the whole warehouse" he said firmly. Last thing he needed was a Hollow or his friends finding out where he was. He sighed again as the blond man nodded an affirmative and proceeded to opening the bracelet. It snapped open without much effort on his part and fell to the ground with a small clang. Immediately, his reiatsu flowed out of his body as he let it leak almost completely freely. All the bottled up and partially eaten away energy suddenly exploded from his body, but it didn't hurt, much like he was sure it didn't hurt Zaraki when he took off his eye-patch.

But unlike Zaraki, the Hybrids spiritual pressure did not fly into the sky in an uncontrolled upside-down waterfall. Instead, it took form of a black flame that surrounded the ex-Shinigami's entire body, making his clothes rattle slightly as if there was some wind coming from the ground. The flame was about five meters high and didn't seem to want to stop burning. It only did once Ichigo forcefully concealed it, not allowing it to leak as freely. He was still unable to stop the leaking entirely though, but he knew now that it wasn't entirely his incompetence, but also the amount of reiatsu he actually had.

The final leaking of his spiritual energy stopped once the bracelet was back in place and the former Deputy Soul Reaper immediately felt its work. He guessed he was never going to get used to it.

"Was that enough of a demonstration for you?" the half-Death God half-Hollow asked, somewhat annoyed. Shinji only nodded and was probably about to ask him something, but was suddenly interrupted by a sudden explosion of reiatsu coming from outside the warehouse and in the direction of Karakura. And not an explosion of just any reiatsu either.

"A Hollow!" Ichigo called as he turned around, while Nel quickly changed into her child form and hopped into her gigai before clinging herself to Ichigo's shoulder again. The carrot-top didn't mind though. "And a strong one too" he added. Nel shook her head.

"It's not really that strong, Itsygo. There's just a whole lot of them. Itsygo and Nel better go and help Itsygo's friends. There are too many enemies for Itsygo's friends to handle on their own" the Arrancar girl said and Ichigo cursed under his breath as he quickly grabbed his Espada-sword and sheathed it.

"Alright, let's go" the ex-Shinigami said, getting a nod from both Nel and Nigaru as an affirmative.

"We're going too" Shinji added. "If there are this many, then I guess we'll need all the swords we can get, right?" now, the blond man was grinning, and his grin widened even more as Ichigo nodded his head in agreement.

"Now let's go" the orange haired boy repeated as the group left the warehouse and took off in the direction of Karakura town.

XxX

Rukia, Renji and everyone else turned in the direction of the exit as they felt it. It was a Hollow, there was no doubt about it. One exceptionally strong, maybe even more. They needed to hurry.

"Let's go!" Rukia yelled as her Soul Pager finally reacted to the signal, but she didn't spare it a glance as she shunpō-ed out of Urahara's Shōten, followed quickly by Renji and Ishida, Orihime and Chad following close behind.

"Yare, yare. We probably should help them out, Yoruichi. There are a lot more of them than they think. We'll need a lot of swords for this one" Kisuke said nonchalantly as he gripped his can while Yoruichi transformed and quickly got dressed before nodding as the two of them took off.

"You think Ichigo will show up and help?" the cat like woman asked with a grin as they shunpō-ed as quickly as they could in the direction of the Hollows.

"Definitely. He was hiding for quite a while, but now he's bound to come out. Just please don't tell him I told you who he was" Urahara answered and had actually a worried look on his face. Yoruichi laughed.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me" she said. '_As long as I'm not so bored to be willing to watch Ichigo beat the living lights out of you_' she added in her thoughts, but not a single word left her lips.

XxX

Isshin looked up from his paper work back at his clinic as he felt it. Forgetting immediately about the papers, Ichigo's father quickly focused his reiatsu and forced his soul out of his body before rushing off in the direction of the Hollow. He had a feeling he might be needed this time around.

XxX

Karin stopped dead in her tracks as a sudden feeling of danger overcame her. She knew that feeling well. It was the feeling she always got when there was a Hollow nearby and most often chasing her or her sister.

This time however it was much more intense than usual and the black haired girl soon found out why as she found herself surrounded by dozens of Hollows, and one more horrifying and disgusting than the other.

'_I'm in some deeeeeep shit_' was all she could think before she sprinted in the opposite direction, hoping to somehow escape. This was the second time she was chased by Hollows since she met Tsuchiro. Last time, he had arrived in the last moment to save her, and knowing that she couldn't be running forever, Karin only hoped that he would come this time as well.

'_I hate being weak and unable to do anything but run_' the young girl thought in frustration as she kept running.

'_I absolutely hate it…_'

* * *

*** Haguro Tonbo – Iron Dragonfly. Lisa's Zanpakutō**

**** Ryuujin Haguro Tonbo – Dragon God Iron Dragonfly. Lisa's Bankai, completely invented by me. I hope it isn't too tragic.**

***** Tatsumaki no Okibi – Tornado of Blazing Fire. One of Lisa's Bankai techniques.**

****** Basically, it's the same like that time when he fought Ulquiorra and got that 'Ressurección look-alike' Hollow form. I hope I didn't change it much.**

**Well, that's it. Hope you liked it. I know I'm repeating myself, but I'll say it again anyways: please review, ok? Your opinion really means a lot to me.**

**Oh and also, the poll on my profile considering my new IchiRuki got changed because I noticed that the old one wasn't helping, mainly because of constant draws. So now I made one where the possibility of draws is smaller, and that will be more helpful for me and (hopefully) more interesting for you. So please, if you want me to write another IchiRuki, please go and vote, ok? The poll will be closed when I have at least 50 voters.**

**Well, that it from me. Hope you enjoyed and that is wasn't too long :3 See ya next time!**


	8. Revelations

**Another chapter done. Cheers XD This one cuts 12200 words, so I'm still keeping my promise and the chapters ARE getting slightly longer LOL. Who knows, maybe we'll get to 20000 at some point…?**

**As for the poll on my profile, it had 11 proud voters. Only 39 more to go; Come on, people VOTE, VOTE, VOTE! The sooner we get to fifty voters, the sooner you'll get to see a new IchiRuki fic of mine… except if you don't want one…? Is that why you're not voting?**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

**Also, this chapter is, once again, action based. Sorry if it bothers you. However, after that, there will be at least one or two chapters of break of any action. Instead, I will show you why exactly I have labeled this story as Romance. You'll probably get the idea at the end of this chapter, but the actual romance-part is only in the next one.**

**At any rate, happy reading, enjoy and don't forget to review :] **

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWER:**

_**Cavlin**_**: Well, I certainly am glad you liked it :3 Makes me itching to write quicker after reading a review like that. Thanks a lot, it really means quite a bit to know what you think of it. So yeah, thanks XD. Bu the way, if you like detailed and lengthy IchiRuki stories, I recommend you the story 'The Twin Moons' by RukiLex. Seriously awesome.**

**Reader's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

_Hollows speaking_

"**This is** **hollowfied Ichigo (aka Ichigo in Ressurección form) speaking**"

**This chapter is dedicated to Snowfire7. I hope that reading this will help you overcome that stupid writers block of yours LOL.**

**Anyway, again, enjoy the read and don't forget to review :] And thanks a lot to those who do on a chapterly basis :3**

_**Special thanks to **__**StrawBerryFlutterBy**__** for edits XD**_

* * *

_Chapter 8 – Revelations_

Their group of seven jumped swiftly from roof to roof as they easily scanned their surroundings. There were Hollows everywhere, but luckily, Ichigo and the Vaizards weren't the only ones who decided to take care of them. Rukia, Renji and Ichigo's 'half-human' friends were dispatched throughout the town as well. Orihime and Ishida were near their high school, Chad took care of the Hollows in a nearby park and Rukia fought alongside Renji in the direction of the soccer field. As for the Kurosaki household, Ichigo felt his father at work there.

"I think we should split up as well" the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid said suddenly. "There are way too many Hollows and they are way too dispatched over the whole town to move in a group. We'll cover more ground if we spread out."

The blond Captain of the Vaizard nodded his agreement but didn't say anything. The group continued to approach the town rapidly and the Hollows' reiatsu was getting stronger with every step they took. There was really a whole lot of them. Much more than any of them had originally thought.

"Your friends took care of the places where the most people are right now, so we'll have to take care of the rest" Shinji said in a seemingly bored tone. "I'll go west. Lisa, you take the Northern outskirts of town. Kensei, the northern area closer to the center of town is all yours. Hachi, you go east."

The Vaizards nodded and soon Ichigo was left alone with Nel, who was still clinging to his shoulder, and Nigaru. His eyes narrowed.

"Guess that leaves the South to us" he said calmly as he continued on his way. He narrowed his eyes as he once again sensed the enemy's reiatsu… and almost stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something else as well. It was in the exact direction their little group was headed.

"Nel, get out of your gigai, hide it somewhere so that no one but you can find it. I'm going to leave this part of Town here to you. Hollows are approaching" he said in a tone as calm as he possibly could, without forgetting that he was needed and that he definitely had to hurry up.

The young Arrancar nodded her head as he gracefully jumped down from his shoulder and landed on the roof in her soul form, her gigai falling right next to her. A second later, a pouf-sound was heard and Neliel stood in all her adult glory with her sword in hand. She quickly hid her small gigai and returned to her position, just in time to see a black cloud of Hollows approaching her. Ichigo and Nigaru were long gone as they continued their way, but Nel didn't mind. It was what they had to do anyway, so that they could protect the whole town from the massive attack. As for the reason of the attack, the green haired Espada decided to try and figure it out later. For now, she had other things to worry about.

With that being her last though, Neliel unsheathed her sword and jumped into the sky, engaging the Hollows that dared to ignore her. Thus, the fight began.

Ж

"Nigaru, head west from here. In a few minutes, you should arrive near a hospital. There's a Quincy fighting there, although it's not the one you met. Help him out. He's strong, but it's better to be safe than sorry" Ichigo said. He didn't think Uryū's father would need much help right now, but more Hollows still kept coming, and since it was near a hospital, Ichigo preferred to have two fighters protecting it instead of one.

"Got it" was all the mod-soul said before it left the half-Shinigami half-Hollow on his own. Without slowing down, the Deathberry sighed, trying to calm himself down. Once he was sure he was as calm as he could get giving the situation, he sped up even more, going full speed ahead in the direction of the graveyard his mother was resting in. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late this time around.

XxX

Karin didn't bother thinking where she was going. The essential thing was to keep going and not let herself get caught. But that proved a lot harder than she originally thought it would be, for this time, it wasn't just one Hollow that was after her. No, this time, it was quite a bunch of them. The black haired girl couldn't care less for the exact number, but if she were to guess, it looked like at least fifty Hollows. And she was trying to get away from all of them. It didn't look good.

Up until now, Luck was on her side though. She was alone and the streets were deserted, so she could run as fast as she could without having to worry about bumping into someone, what would easily get her caught. Things weren't the same for the monsters pursuing her though. Seeing their numbers, they were slowing one another down. Not that Karin would complain about it. She was actually pretty happy it was like that.

However, this was as far as her luck got when she finally noticed where exactly it was that her feet had taken her. It was the graveyard. More specifically, it was the hill overlooking the graveyard, which meant that the only way to get out of this mess was either to turn back or to jump.

Turning back was out of the question, simply because the Hollows were blocking her way. Jumping didn't look to good either. In short, she was pretty much screwed.

At least that's what she thought until she felt a pair of hands grab her gently around the waist before the world disappeared in a blur, just as the Hollows jumped at her. Next thing she knew, she was on the other side of the hill. '_What the Hell…?_'

"No way in hell…" a familiar voice said above her, without a doubt belonging to the person that had saved her. She didn't have to think twice to know just who it was. Tsuchiro had saved her once again… but why did he seem disappointed?

Ж

Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes, and his words said just that.

"No way in hell!" he repeated. "All the fuss about a bunch of lowlifes like you? You've got to be shitting me!" he said in an annoyed tone. Seriously, the things before him were the level he fought off in his rookie-days at best. Even if it had to be a really massive amount of them to give off such spiritual pressure, it was definitely not something Rukia and the others couldn't handle on their own. In short, he and the Vizards most likely went out for nothing... or almost for nothing, since Karin sure did need help.

The Hollows only replied with loud roars, but the orange haired boy wasn't really surprised. With their level of strength, they were far off from being able to speak. Still, the monsters themselves didn't seem to notice the humungous power gap between themselves and the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid as they charged him together. Ichigo sighed as he finally let go of Karin and reached for his sword.

"Wait here for a second, it won't take long" he said as he stepped forward slightly, just to make sure the black haired girl didn't get caught into the crossfire. Then he just waited for the Hollows to close in. When the bunch of them were almost on top of him, he unsheathed his sword and brought it down in front of him, holding it in one hand, only to re-sheath it in the same motion, but backwards. The movement took about one second and it was enough to kill all the Hollows that were following his younger sister. Not that he expected anything else. These Hollows were the weakest of the weak. Letting out an annoyed huff, he turned to the black haired girl.

"Are you all right, Karin-chan?" he asked, careful to call her the way 'Tsuchiro' was supposed to call her. She nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… But thanks for helping me out" she said as she looked over him. She couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity off. It was as if she was supposed to know him… like he was someone more to her than he let on. It was a feeling Karin had gotten ever since he scolded her about quitting soccer, and she still wasn't able to explain it. She doubted she ever would. It was probably just her imagination anyway.

"No problem" the hooded boy replied, forcing himself not to add 'how could I not have helped my own sister?' since Karin didn't know who he was, and it was better if it stayed that way. "Why are you out here anyway? You usually don't come here, do you?" he asked, trying to sound genuinely curious. Not that he wasn't, but he was also worried. Why would Karin come to the graveyard of all places? Did something happen?

"I was actually looking for…" Karin stopped short, suddenly at a loss of words. How could she explain why she was looking for him of all people? And how would he react if she told him she wanted him to come home with her?

"Looking for…?" Ichigo tried to force her to spit it out without nagging. It was very unlike Karin to be hesitant. Knowing _that,_ made him worry even more. Fear gripped his heart, when he thought that something might have happened. But in her eyes, he didn't have a reason to be worried. Not as the boy she knew him as now. So he tried to hide it as well as he could.

"For you" she said quickly, before she could even consider what she was saying. "I want you to come home with me!"

Now _that_ was definitely not something the ex-Soul Reaper expected. He raised his eyebrows behind his cowl, but he was more than certain that Karin didn't see it.

"Why?" he asked bluntly. "Why would you want me to go back with you? I only caused trouble…" he was referring to the battle against his friends. It was not something he wanted his sisters to witness. Not because they couldn't handle it. Karin was more than capable of handling fights and Yuzu didn't see any of it anyway. No, he didn't want them to see it out of fear they might get involved, like Karin did that last time. Or that they might get caught in the crossfire. That _definitely_ wasn't something he wanted to happen.

"You didn't cause any trouble at all" the black haired girl interrupted almost immediately. "We… we really liked having you there… It was like… a missing piece of our lives had popped into place. I feel like you belong with us" she said. Just what the Hell was wrong with her? Since when did she get so… so soft? This wasn't like her at all!

As for Ichigo, he definitely didn't like where this was going. If he didn't know any better, he would say that Karin had recognized him already. Luckily, his mind was telling him that that definitely could not be the case. He sighed.

"I'll go back with you, but I will not stay" he said, turning away. He didn't need to look at his sister to know that she was probably glaring daggers at him for turning her down like that.

"I'll take you to your father" '_our father_' he corrected in his thoughts. "You'll be safe with him. I have other things to do."

"You're going to finish off the rest of the Hollows, right?" Karin asked matter-of-factly.

"If the Soul Reapers and the others aren't going to be done with them by then, then yes, I guess I'll help out" Ichigo answered silently as he kneeled down on the ground. "Get on" he said, motioning to his back. "It'll be quicker this way."

Surprisingly, Karin didn't object and quickly climbed onto his back. Ichigo felt a wave of nostalgia overcome him. How long was it since he last gave Karin a piggyback ride? Usually it was when he came by the soccer field and found out that she'd hurt her leg while playing. Accidents happen. He'd always bring her home via a piggyback ride then, and she'd always say that she didn't need his help. But she always climbed onto his back without objecting and that was evidence enough for Ichigo to know that she enjoyed it somehow.

Karin herself didn't really know why she didn't object. Normally, no one was allowed to give her piggyback rides. No one except Ichigo. But her brother was dead. With that fact clear, it should be out of the question for her to ever get a piggyback ride again. Yet she got one now… and it felt so natural. Like the hooded boy was _supposed_ to carry her on his back.

The black haired girl shook her head to clear her mind. It didn't matter why she acted this way. Right now, she had to make sure she'd see him again. Somehow, that seemed to be the most important thing right now.

"Well, once you're done with the Hollows, I expect you to come back and I won't take no as an answer" she said menacingly. The amber-eyed boy didn't respond as he stood up and took of using shunpō. He decided to ignore Karin's words. He knew well enough that he couldn't return to his old house. Not for forever anyway. So it'd be better if he just stayed away.

With his thoughts sorted out, he sped up. He had a feeling that something big was going to happen soon. And lately, his feelings were damn right.

XxX

"Well, here we are" the orange haired boy said as he let Karin get off his back. He couldn't feel any Hollows in the area and his father wasn't far off, so he thought he should leave as soon as possible. And he was about to do just that when Karin grabbed his sleeve. He turned around to face her with raised eyebrows. Not that she noticed or anything.

"Promise you'll come back" she said to him and the half-Death God half-Hollow felt his resolve melt away at the sight of her. Her eyes were teary which in itself was an unusual sight. The black haired girl never cried as far as Ichigo could remember. Not since their mother died. So if she was crying now, things had to be really tough for her. However, the amber-eyed boy was not allowed to respond.

"IIIIIIICHIIIIIGOOOOOO!" a familiar voice yelled and said boy swiftly dodged the kick aimed at his head, responding with a powerful kick to his attacker's stomach. The unfortunate man flew a few feet away before crashing into the asphalt. In that moment, the hybrid lost his temper.

"WHAT THE HELL? ARE YOU INSANE?" he yelled, forcing himself not to spill his identity by asking 'What kind of father…' like he usually did and pointing an accusing finger at Isshin. His father immediately jumped to his feet as if Ichigo hadn't just kicked him.

"I knew it! I knew you were Ichigo!" the man yelled suddenly, smiling brightly. The ex-Shinigami stared for a while before regaining his composure. Then, he decided to play dumb. Maybe, just maybe, he could fool his father.

"Ichigo? Who's that?" he asked. His father however, didn't seem fazed by the question at all and still grinned like a little boy, which irked Ichigo more than anything.

"You're asking me who that is? Don't you recognize your own name now, Ichigo?" his father asked, that annoying grin not leaving his face. "Stop faking already. I'm your awesome dad, you can't fool me."

"Awesome dad my ass! You're insane if anything!" Ichigo responded, kicking said man in the face as the older man approached. Unfortunately, before falling back, his father managed to grab his cloak and pull it off, revealing Ichigo's face. Still, the orange haired boy managed to keep it in place enough to hide his mask.

"I-Ichi-nii?" Ichigo turned to his sister, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He sighed as he noticed that there was nothing he could do now. He allowed himself a weak smile.

"Hey there, Karin" he said quietly. Well, once again, his cover was blown. What a surprise…

"ICHI-NII!" the black haired girl yelled as she threw herself at him, throwing him to the ground. Ichigo only managed an 'Eeeh?' as she tackled him. Karin wasn't one to show her feelings so openly. She was acting completely unlike herself. But somehow, the orange haired boy understood why she was doing it.

"You stupid idiot!" she said as she punched him in the stomach from where she lay, not even bothering to stand up. Afterwards, she buried her face in his chest, holding his clothes like a life-line and started sobbing. "Do you have any idea how it felt like to think that you were gone too like mom? Do you have any idea how it hurt to think you were gone forever? Why the Hell didn't you tell us from the start who you were you dumbass?"

She was mad, he could tell that much. She was _really_ mad, but most of all, she was a mixture of upset and happy. Happy because he was there, apparently alive more or less. Upset because he had lied to her and tried to hide this fact from her. He could tell that much from the changes in her reiatsu.

"Karin…" he stuttered as he sat up. His sister didn't let him and just kept whispering insults at him, still crying into his chest. Ichigo's eyes softened as he put his hands around his dark haired sister and pulled her even closer to him. "I'm sorry" he said as he felt his own eyes water as well. Crying was apparently infectious, as his father also seemed to have tears in his eyes. "I just… didn't want to hurt you more" he whispered. That earned him a smack on the head.

"Hurt us more? Are you freaking insane Ichigo? How could knowing that you're alive hurt us more?" she yelled at him. The orange haired boy sighed, but didn't get to answer again as the last member of the Kurosaki family joined their 'happy' reunion, willing to know what the commotion was about.

"What's going on? Why are you all yelling like that?" Yuzu asked, when she noticed her twin hugging thin air. The girl quickly understood that it must be a ghost, but it was still unlike Karin to hug anyone. "Karin, who is the ghost you're hugging?" she finally asked, but her twin ignored her completely.

"Back to my question, you idiot of a brother" Karin snapped, still not letting go of him. Ichigo couldn't help but smile. Karin hasn't changed at all. Yuzu's eyes widened.

"K-Karin-chan…" the girl asked in a shaky voice, finally making the black haired girl realize her presence. "Is… Is Onii-chan there?"

A nod was all she received as answer before Yuzu, ignoring the fact that she could not see ghosts, launched herself in the general direction of her brother with tears in her eyes. Ichigo caught her at the last moment before she hit the ground and she immediately started sobbing into his arms, chanting his name over and over again. He sighed as he answered Karin's question.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he repeated. "I thought it would be even more painful for you to know that I'm alive… but that I can't stay," he immediately noticed Karin's eyes widen. Yuzu's didn't react, for she couldn't hear his words. She could only feel his form, since he was holding her tightly. The orange haired boy was sure his black haired sister was going to ask some questions, but Isshin beat her to it.

"What do you mean, you can't stay?" the old man asked. Ichigo looked at him questioningly. Was it just him or was his father… angry? "I think you owe us an explanation, son, and I'm not going to let you go without it. Especially since I'd like to understand why your friends tried to kill you, and why you haven't told us the truth." Yup, he was angry, although it was the first time that Isshin's son had seen his dad truly angry. He couldn't blame him though. He laughed bitterly in response.

"They attacked simply because they didn't know it was me. And it would be better if they didn't" he added quickly. Sensing a pile of questions coming up, he decided to just tell them a part of the story and hope that they didn't ask him to explain what exactly it was that he had become. He had somewhat come to terms with it, but he still didn't want everyone to know. Up until now, Nel and the Vizards were the only ones and Ichigo would like it to stay that way.

"I can't tell you everything, but know that I can't stay, no matter how much I wish I could. My place is no longer in the World of the Living. Now, I belong to the World of the Dead" he didn't specify which one though. He didn't need them to know that he was not supposed to ever set foot in Soul Society again. It was something he'd rather keep to himself if he could. "That's why I didn't want to tell you. I thought that knowing that someone you know is alive but that you can never see him again is worse than thinking said person is dead. At least I think I would prefer it," his voice fell. He didn't _think_ so. He knew it. He learned that lesson when he found out that his mother's soul would never go to Soul Society after it was devoured by a Hollow. Only that in his case, his mother somehow became an exception since he was able to meet her. How she found her way to Rukongai Ichigo didn't understand, nor did he really care.

"Are you stupid or something? At least we know that you're alive and well. That's way better than thinking you died you moron!" Karin yelled at him and Ichigo smiled again despite himself. The black haired girl didn't seem to really understand the gravity of his words. When he said they'd never see each other again, he was sure it would sooner or later be that way. After all, his place was in Hueco Mundo and even though he could be in Karakura for now, he knew that sooner or later, he'd have to leave. Most likely because Soul Society will keep hunting him under the label of an Arrancar or other threat to their dimension.

"What about your friends? Why didn't you tell them?" Isshin asked. The orange haired boy cursed under his breath. He should have known his dad wouldn't be satisfied just yet. Damn…

"Inoue, Chad and Ishida for the exact same reasons I didn't tell you. As for Renji and Rukia… it's just better this way you know" he answered, avoiding his father's eyes. That didn't stop Isshin from noticing the sad look in his son's eyes and he decided not to ask anything further. Apparently it was something his son didn't want to talk about. And Isshin was going to accept that.

"Anyway, I should probably go now…" Ichigo said. Yuzu looked up at him with wide eyes as she felt him stand up and immediately gripped his clothing, probably feeling what he was about to do.

"Wait, Onii-chan. You just came back. Can't you… can't you stay a little while longer?" the chest nut haired girl asked with tears in her eyes. Ichigo sighed in defeat. That's exactly why he didn't want his family to know that he was alive.

He was about to respond to his younger sister when he felt it. It was a sudden jump of Hollow reiatsu near Renji's location. Rukia and Ishida weren't far off from what his feeling of spiritual energy could tell and were quickly moving in the redhead's direction, probably wanting to help out. Chad was on his way as well as Inoue, both going as quickly as they possibly could. The Vaizards were still scattered throughout town, battling larger and smaller groups of Hollows, but there were more around them, bound to keep them occupied for some time. Nel and Nigaru were occupied as well. And Ichigo had a feeling that the Hollow Renji was dealing with was different from the others. The chill that ran up and down his spine told him as much.

"Sorry, Yuzu, but I have to go. There are Hollows still lurking around. I need to take care of them" he said as he forced her to let go, ignoring the fact she couldn't hear him. Karin transmitted his words to her though, as Ichigo turned to his father one last time. "I'm counting on you to protect them, dad" he said simply. When the older man nodded, the orange haired boy allowed himself a sad smile. "Well… goodbye" and then he was off, running at top speed to where his friends were. He had a feeling that they could need some help. This Hollow was definitely different from the rest and not in a good way.

XxX

His feeling of the Hollow being different from the rest was proven correct as soon as he got there. It was definitely one of the Tough Mask ones. Its reiatsu was a dead giveaway. However, from where he stood in the branches of the trees of the park, Ichigo could clearly see that his friends didn't really need his help this time around. He just tended to worry about them too much. But since they seemed to be doing just fine, he decided to stay where he was and watch for a moment. It wasn't like he was needed anywhere else either. The Vaizards certainly didn't need his help. He could just as well watch his friends and see how they've improved.

"Hadō thirty-three! Sōkatsui!" he heard a certain raven haired girl yell. The spell had almost reached the monsters mask, but was evaded at the last moment. For a Hollow, this thing was quick and despite himself, Ichigo found himself analyzing his opponent just in case he would need to step in. It didn't look that way now, but better safe than sorry.

This Hollow was easily comparable to a phoenix. It had a pair of great and somewhat beautiful wings. It looked in every way like a phoenix out of a fairy tale, Ichigo gave it this much credit. Even the tail was a wonderful sight. You could never say that what you were looking at was a Hollow. It really looked like nothing else but a gigantic, beautiful bird; a sight to withhold indeed. The orange haired teen found himself wondering how something this beautiful could possibly be a Hollow.

"**Don't get distracted, King! Don't get fazed by its physical appearance, it can be delusional. Haven't you learned that by now? Geez, you're pissing me off"** Tsuchiro snapped at him and Ichigo shook his head. His Hollow was right, he couldn't judge his opponent by his looks. Looks were never anything to go by.

Looking back, he noticed that said Hollow was just as fast as any bird could be, but apparently there wasn't much strength behind its attacks when you were able to cancel out its speed.

'_It draws power from its speed. If it was slowed down, it probably wouldn't be able to do much with his claws or its bill. Question is, what other abilities does it have? I doubt physical attacks and Cero would be all it has on stock_' the orange haired boy thought as he watched the fight continue. If the Hollow had any secondary abilities, it wasn't using them, deciding to keep dodging the increasing amounts of attacks. And by that time, there was hardly a second when it wasn't attacked, what with all the people fighting it.

Rukia was firing kidō after kidō, helped by Ishida who was constantly firing thousand of arrows. Frankly, Ichigo would be surprised if the Hollow kept up with that alone. But the phoenix not only kept up perfectly well with those two, it also dodged Chad and Renji seemingly without breaking a sweat. Sometimes it tried to attack, but was stopped by an orange shield. This was definitely Orihime's doing.

"**At this rate, this is never going to end"** Ichigo's Inner Hollow yawned and the orange haired ex-Shinigami couldn't help but snicker. It was almost funny how quickly Tsuchiro could get bored. But the amber eyed half-Soul Reaper half-Hollow had to agree with his other self. With the way things looked now, it would never end.

The phoenix-like Hollow seemed to have thought the same, for it leapt high into the air where it gave out an agonizing scream. It wasn't hit, Ichigo knew that much. So it was probably using some kind of special ability.

The orange haired boy's theory was proven correct and his eyes widened as he saw more Hollows pop up, apparently out of nowhere and attack his friends. They were kept at bay easily though. They were the weaker ones. Much weaker.

'_What the Hell is going on? Did the Tough Mask summon those here or did they just come right now by pure coincidence?_' the former Substitute thought bewildered. 'Tough Mask' was the name he and the Vizards chose for the extraordinarily strong Hollows. His other self answered his question for him.

"**I'd go for the first one. Its yell definitely meant 'come to me'. Can't tell if it was an ability or just an order though"** he said. Ichigo's eyes narrowed as more Hollows kept coming and coming.

'_If it was it was an ability then it's a pretty weird one… and it would make it a tough opponent._ _If it was an order, it would mean that Tough Mask was appointed as the leader. In that case, there must be someone commanding it as well. That would explain why they are targeting one person in particular in the first place_' Ichigo thought as suddenly a few pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Of course, if the Hollows were targeting a person in particular, it meant they had to have a leader. Someone who wanted to get rid of that person for some reason. If he knew who was being targeted, maybe he could figure out who the 'captain' was…

An explosion broke him out of his thoughts and he looked back to the battlefield.

"KUCHIKI-SAN!" he heard Inoue yell and his heart skipped a beat before he forced himself to calm down. Apparently the Tough Mask used the lower Hollows to distract his friends and then used a cero on them. And Rukia got hit.

It was also a pretty powerful Cero, Ichigo figured. Something weak wouldn't bring Rukia to the ground. Plus the girl seemed to be out cold. The cero was definitely strong. As for Ichigo, he felt a sudden urge to go to the raven haired girl and see if she was alright, but forced himself to stay put. Not that it helped for longer than a few seconds, as the Tough Mask immediately launched at said girl with its claws ready to rip her apart. And the others were all kept busy by the lower Hollows. Just great.

_Target disposed of!_ The Hollow yelled as it dove, gaining more and more speed and approaching the fallen girl quickly. The orange haired teen felt his blood boil. So they were after _Rukia_? Like he would ever let anyone as much as touch her! Over his dead body!

Without wasting even a second longer, the ex-Shinigami grabbed the handle of Zangetsu and used sonido. A millisecond later his sword collided with the claws before the bird immediately leapt back into the sky, avoiding his attack.

"Let me tell you something, birdie" Ichigo said as he released some of his spiritual pressure with his anger. "If you want to even touch Rukia, you'll have to pass me first!" with that being said, he leapt after the Hollow. The phoenix tried to evade his attacks to the best of its abilities, but it was proved rather rapidly that Ichigo could more than just keep up with its speed. However, after a few slashes, Ichigo decided to slow down. Slicing blindly would get him nowhere. He had to calm down.

Unfortunately, the Tough Mask used the few seconds he left it in peace to summon some more Hollows, which were now surrounding him. Not that it mattered. He snickered. Like he was going to even look at them. Well, he probably would later but right now, he would take down the most annoying bird he had ever laid eyes on.

He allowed himself to fall a few feet downwards, just as the Hollows were about to throw themselves at him, then jumped up again, effectively blocking the phoenix, which was once again preparing to attack Rukia.

"I'm your opponent now" he said in a cold tone as he put more pressure on his sword, trying to slice the Hollow in two. Unfortunately, it decided to fly back and attack him from the side. He evaded it at the last moment and gulped despite himself. If he had been hit, he would be the one sliced in two.

In the meantime, Orihime ran over to the fallen Shinigami and began tending to her wounds. The cero had hit her square in the back causing a deep and probably mortal wound, but it was nothing the Shun Shun Rikka couldn't fix. In less than a minute, Rukia was already healed and trying to get up.

"Damn… What the hell happened?" the raven haired girl asked.

"You were distracted by the lower Hollows and the big one attacked you from behind, Kuchiki-san. But you're OK now" Orihime answered as the golden dome around Rukia dissolved into nothingness. The black haired Shinigami looked at her with her regret in her eyes.

"Sorry for the trouble, Inoue" she said quietly. Orihime only smiled at her.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Kuchiki-san. I was glad I could do something to help" the brown haired girl answered. She seemed to want to say something else, but an explosion of reiatsu stopped her. Her heartbeat accelerated. She would recognize this reiatsu anywhere.

'_K-Kurosaki… -kun?_' The gray eyed girl thought as both she and Rukia looked up into the sky. The phoenix-like Hollow they were all fighting just moments ago was trying to claw off the head of a certain hooded, mysterious boy, and was failing miserably. But said mystery-boy couldn't land a hit either, at least that's what it looked like for both girls. Rukia frowned.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" she asked in an angry voice. She didn't really know why she was mad. It looked like he was helping. But still, he was probably the Arrancar they were looking for… probably. He was the enemy.

"Well… he stepped in when the Hollow tried to finish you off, Kuchiki-san. He… uhm… saved you" Orihime answered shyly, not knowing how her friend would react to that. As far as the healer knew, the raven haired girl thought of the hooded boy as the enemy. Not that Inoue herself didn't think the same thing until a few seconds ago.

Rukia's eyes widened as she looked back at the boy fighting high in the air. She couldn't believe it. Why would he save her life?

Suddenly, the phoenix attacked the boy, who dodged skillfully, letting the bird fly straight at the two girls on the ground. It smirked as it sped up even more, firing a cero at them at the same time. It was quick and close, but Inoue didn't need much time to react either.

"Santen Kisshun! I reject!" she cried and immediately a triangular shield was in place, ready to repel any attack. But the attack never hit.

"Wh-What?" the violet eyed girl gasped when she saw the hooded boy in front of them, blocking the attack with ease.

Ichigo clicked his tongue in annoyance. How often did he have to tell this stupid Hollow that he was the one it was supposed to be fighting?

"**And how often do I have to tell you that I'm getting bored with you not even trying to kill it? Come on, just get it over with. That thing is boringly weak, King"** Tsuchiro whined and Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. But he had to admit, his Hollow-side was right. It didn't look like the fight would get any more interesting than that.

Sighing in annoyance, he cut through the cero, breaking it with his own spiritual energy before attacking the phoenix. Blade and claws collided again, but this time Ichigo wasn't planning on letting the annoying bird get away.

"Hadō fifty-four. Haien" he whispered as he sliced the air with his free hand before jumping away. The small violet projectile of reiatsu hit its target a second later, turning the Hollow into a ball of flames. It gave out one last agonizing scream before it vanished. The orange haired boy sighed in relief as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. But the second his feet touched the earth, he felt six plates of light impale themselves into his body at his waist. It didn't hurt, but he was completely immobilized. Damn, he should have known Rukia would try to restrain him as soon as he was down there.

Said girl stepped in front of him a second later with a frown on her face and Inoue by her side. Ishida, Chad and Renji were still fighting off the remaining few lowlife Hollow, so for now, he could hope that the two girls were the only ones 'interested' in him.

"Time you gave us some answers. First of, who the hell are you?" Rukia asked and Ichigo almost flinched at the coldness in her voice. She might not know who he was, but it still hurt to hear her talk to him like that. He couldn't help it. It just hurt.

However, he kept quiet. He couldn't answer this question. What was he supposed to say anyway? 'Hi, Rukia, it's me, Ichigo'? He'd have to be a complete idiot to do that.

When he didn't answer, Rukia took a step closer to him, her frown deepening and her eyes holding more venom and ice in them than he'd ever seen. But there was also something else there. Something he was sure he was the only one to be able to see. The look in her eyes has not changed at all. The wound in her heart was still fresh. He could see it clearly. He could see how she was suffering, even though she was hiding it almost perfectly.

"If you're not going to answer, I'll just see for myself" she said in an icy tone as she reached for his cowl. Now, Ichigo had a slight panic attack. No way in hell could he allow her to see his face. But how could he stop her?

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Maybe… just maybe he could 'hollowfy' a little. Just enough to change his voice.

He almost let a sigh of relief when he felt Shirosaki take control with him. He knew that his Inner Hollow understood what he wanted and he gave him just that.

"**Shouldn't you be worrying about something else at the moment?**" he asked calmly. Surprised that he finally spoke, Rukia stopped and even took a step back. That was all the diversion he needed as he concentrated his reiatsu, before releasing it in a powerful wave, as strong as he possibly could without taking the restriction off. In seconds, Rukia's restraining spell was broken and he leapt into the sky, slicing through a few Hollows on the way.

He wasn't joking when he said they should be worrying about other things than who he actually was. A great amount of Hollows was approaching rapidly, probably lured by his own spiritual pressure. And even if they were the weakest of the weak, their number was still astonishing. It was even more than when Ishida crushed that stupid Hollow bait of his.

Ichigo shook his head as a Hollow cry reached his ears. A second later a gigantic wave descended upon the park. It was an overwhelming quantity. Much more than even he expected.

The orange haired boy didn't waste time to draw his Zanpakutō. He drew Demonio as well. With such a cloud of enemies, two swords were better than one.

His eyes widened as he swiftly jumped to the side, avoiding a bunch of Quincy arrows. They destroyed a few Hollows, but the ex-Shinigami could tell that they were aimed at him.

"What the hell?" he yelled, his voice now back to normal. He didn't really yell at Ishida though. Really, he should've expected it.

"I've got you now" he heard a calm voice behind him and barely managed to avoid another set of arrows. Uryū had certainly gotten quicker.

"Is that really the time to be fighting an ally?" Ichigo asked as calmly as he could as he batted more arrows to the sides before swinging Demonio at a few approaching Hollows. The blade cut through the bone-like mask like it was made out of water.

"An ally?" Ishida asked skeptically. Ichigo didn't respond as he used sonido the get behind the Quincy and slice through the Hollows that were attacking him from behind. Really, what was with Uryū? He would normally sense these Hollows a mile away!

"You're fighting against the Hollows, right? Well, so am I. I'm partly Shinigami and you're a Quincy, so we're exact opposites. That's just fine" he said without turning around. He knew instinctively that Uryū wouldn't attack him. "In a fight against a large number of enemies, the best way to go about it is back to back."

Ishida's eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder. The hooded boy had his back to him. That wasn't what surprised the young Quincy though. What did was the fact that his supposed enemy just saved his life. And the words he just said… they were the same words Kurosaki said to him!

Slowly, a hint of doubt nested in Ishida's mind, and he decided to test it.

"'Back to back'? What's that? Do you mean form a united front? Quincy and whatever it is that you truly are?" he asked, speaking almost the same words he told Kurosaki back then. He had a feeling he knew what answer he would get. And if he did, then he would be almost sure his hunch was correct.

"Would there be any other meaning?" Ichigo asked annoyed. Geez, that was like his conversation with the Quincy shortly before the Menos arrived replaying itself. Dear God…

"Don't say such nonsense! For you and me to work together is…" Ishida continued, wanting to be really sure that he was right in what he was thinking. And it seemed so, as, not really surprisingly, the hooded boy grabbed his sleeve and interrupted him mid-sentence.

"You're still talking about that?" he yelled at the black haired boy before pulling him down and slicing through a Hollow that was attacking the Quincy from behind. Ishida smiled lightly. He was sure now. Or almost sure.

'_Kurosaki… Can it really be you?_' he thought as he noticed a Hollow attacking said Shinigami from behind. Uryū didn't hesitate to shoot it before it got any closer.

"That's right" the almost-identified boy said calmly as he looked back at the Quincy. Ishida pushed up his glasses as he answered, choosing his words carefully, so that he said the same thing as the previous time. He was almost sure, but one last testing would probably be recommended.

"Don't misunderstand. If I hadn't shot that now, I would have been killed. It's not like I'm cooperating with you…"

"That's good enough" the maybe-Ichigo interrupted him again, repeating once more the exact same words Kurosaki said. Ishida's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked with disbelief. Could it really be Ichigo standing back to back with him?

"It's do or die. But it's hard to do alone. So we have no choice! We'll work together! That should be a good enough reason to work together." If the boy wearing glasses still had some doubts, they were all gone now. It could only be Kurosaki standing there.

Uryū was about to say something when the boy leap forward, cutting through the mass of Hollows with both swords. As far as Ishida noticed, it didn't matter which one cut the mask. Maybe they were both Zanpakutō?

Suddenly, Ichigo disappeared from his sight and reappeared behind him, destroying more Hollows.

"Get moving! They aren't going to kill themselves!" he said, not stopping for even a second to swing around. With each attack, several Hollows fell. But more still kept coming…

Ishida raised his bow quickly and fired a large amount of arrows that missed the hooded boy by mere centimeters. On the other hand, they took care of a few Hollows that tried to get him from behind.

"About time" Ishida heard before he smirked and turned away, concentrating on the fight. He'd talk to Kurosaki later, when all these weaklings were dealt with. Then he'd squeeze some answers out of the other if he had to. Right now, they were fighting together again. And even though the Quincy would never admit it, he was happy to have his short tempered, orange haired friend watching his back again.

Ichigo cursed under his breath. No matter how much he and the others killed, more just kept coming. They might have been weak, but in such a large group, they'd give anyone a hard time. It didn't look good. And somehow, this situation reminded him of what had occurred shortly before he finally dealt with Ichimaru. The situation was as good as the same and Ichigo sure as Hell didn't like it. He hoped the others were OK, but unfortunately, he was not able to see for himself. He wished he could though.

Ж

Rukia and Renji stood back to back on the ground as they fought the Hollows as well. Orihime was with them too, ready to use her shield to protect them, should the need arise. Everything was under control. More or less.

"Maybe we should recommend Gentei Kaihou*? What do you think, Rukia?" Renji asked uncertainly. "I mean, there sure is a lot of them and…"

"We don't need Gentei Kaihou for such lowlifes, Renji, no matter how many there are. We have fought tougher battles than this" she interrupted him with a cold voice and the redhead shut up immediately. Still, he would feel more confident if he wasn't limited. Last time he was in a situation like this, he let a friend die. And he wasn't limited then. So he couldn't help but be afraid that the same thing will happen again. It wasn't like the Hollows he, Ayasegawa and Ichigo faced together were any stronger than these but still… the situation was painfully reminding.

"Yeah… you're right" he answered, not at all convinced as he swung his sword at more incoming enemies for a third time before Zabimaru retracted again. In that very moment, more hollows attacked. Out of options, for he wouldn't be able to strike in time, the redhead decided to take a risk.

"Hadō thirty-one! Shakkahō!" he yelled. The familiar red orb formed in his palm and he threw it at the Hollows. To his biggest surprise, the kidō actually hit its mark without a flaw. And he didn't even use the incantation! Was he getting better at kidō or what?

As more Hollows approached him, he sent another red orb their way. Unfortunately, he lost his focus in the third attempt. The result? A cloud of smoke and a lot of pain on Renji's part.

"You stupid idiot, do you want to kill us both? Don't use kidō if you can't completely control it yet you fool. I told you, levels above around thirty are still risky for you" Rukia scolded him as she sliced through another Hollow. She was getting fed up with this fight. It was time to finally speed things up, before her partner killed the both of them.

"Sorry" Renji muttered as Zabimaru killed a few more enemies. Rukia ignored him as she concentrated her reiatsu.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" she said calmly as a wide circle of ice appeared around her. It was bigger than before. Her reach has increased.

Smiling to herself, Rukia quickly grabbed Inoue and used shunpō to get off the ice and Renji followed soon enough, just in time to see the column of frozen water reach into the sky before shattering. That took care of quite the mount of Hollows.

Suddenly, Orihime noticed a cero flying quickly towards them. She didn't hesitate as she concentrated. But what she called out surprised even her.

"Santen Kesshun, okurikaesu**! I reject!" she yelled. Immediately, the shield was in place and the cero hit it full force. What surprised both the two Shinigami and the healer was that right after the attack was repelled… it was send back with at least doubled force. In seconds there were quite a number of Hollows less to worry about. Inoue just stared blinking, not understanding what had just occurred. Renji whistled.

"Wow, nice. That was quite something, Inoue" he said approvingly. Orihime only nodded as she smiled. Maybe… just maybe… she'd gotten stronger after all?

Ж

Chad looked around scanning the area, hoping that he wouldn't be attacked from everywhere at once. He was no good in fights against so many opponents. Speed just wasn't his thing. He was powerful, yes, but unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough to keep up with so many opponents simultaneously. Damn…

Suddenly, a flash of black flew by him and at the same time a few Hollows were no longer a problem. A bunch of blue arrows followed the black blur and soon even less Hollows were surrounding him. Noticing the bewilderment of the other creatures, Chad quickly charged up his energy and killed them in one go.

"Nice one" the person that so suddenly joined him said as he stood to his right. It was the hooded boy from before. The one that Kuchiki and Abarai wanted to kill… or at least capture, for whatever reason.

"Are you alright, Sado-kun?" the other person asked, this time to his left. That was Uryū. The giant nodded an affirmative.

"Thanks" he said simply.

"No problem" the hooded boy replied before he charged at the new incoming Hollows. It was then that Chad stopped dead in his tracks and just watched, forgetting where he was. The way this boy moved… even if it was with two swords instead of one, Chad was sure that it were the same movements he saw Ichigo 'perform' the many times he watched him fight or train. But Ichigo was dead… wasn't he?

A ray of sun distracted him yet again. The flow of Hollows that were coming was finally slowing down

Ж

Ichigo cursed under his breath as he danced around with both swords in each hand. He felt that the Hollows were slowly diminishing, but there were still a whole lot of them. Too many for their little group to handle, even if his friends did get stronger. And the orange haired boy was sure they did. He saw that Ishida was quicker than before. Also, he could use his bow with just one hand now.

Ichigo didn't fail to notice Orihime's new power, or the fact that Rukia's dances were definitely stronger either. It was to be expected, really. He couldn't be the only one getting stronger after all… especially if they wanted him dead.

But back to the issue at hand…

'_Man, there's just so many of them. They're starting to piss me off. How many of these things are there?_' he asked in his thoughts. It wasn't like he was not enjoying the thrill of the fight but… he preferred single and strong enemies rather than a bunch of weaklings. He couldn't really say why though.

"**One person more could prove helpful, don't you think, King?"** Tsuchiro asked, and immediately a light was switched on in the carrot tops head.

'_Yeah, I won't argue about that. Alright, let's try. You ready?_'

"**As ready as I can be, King. Let's roll"** Ichigo was never surer than now that his other self was smiling. And he could hardly blame him. The Hollows were in for a surprise.

He jumped up high into the air, well above the fight. Once there, he slowly let his reiatsu 'leak', slowly increasing the release. He needed the bait. If he was going to use his technique, he'd have to separate the Hollows from his friends. It would be way easier for him this way.

Just as he expected, upon feeling such an amount of energy being released, the Hollows all turned to him and charged at him at an incredible speed. The ex-Shinigami could also feel the few leftovers the Vizards still haven't dealt with come over. He smiled to himself.

'_Let's get this show on the road, Tsuchiro_' he thought as he crossed his arms in front of him before slicing the air as if performing a horizontal Getsuga Tenshō. Only that the energy he used was black, just like in his Bankai, and came from both blades. Plus it didn't fly towards the Hollows, which were still approaching rapidly. Ichigo smiled again.

"Hakkei! Saa, Tsuchiro***!" he said calmly. Immediately, a bright light exploded from the Gestuga Tenshō look alike and soon enough a familiar, maniacal laughter was heard. Ichigo smiled. He really pulled it off!

"Tsuchiro, catch!" he called as he threw Zangetsu in Tsuchiro's direction before using Demonio to cut through a few Hollows. His black and white form, minus the cloak and mask pieces, caught it without breaking a sweat and started whirling around with two swords: the one he caught and his own reversed Zangetsu. Only that his was not sealed.

After a while, the sealed Zanpakutō cut the air again before it was caught by its rightful owner. Ichigo grinned at his other self before the two of them stood back to back, the now few remaining Hollows surrounding them.

"Let's finish this, Tsuchiro. Together. What do you say?" Ichigo asked calmly, already knowing what the answer was. After all, his alter ego was him, so he really knew what he was going to say.

"I say, let's go, King! Time for some serious butt kicking!" the black and white Ichigo yelled as the two of them jumped at the remaining few Hollows and cutting through them without a second thought, sometimes changing roles as to who fought with two blades and who with one. Yet they fought in perfect synch with each other. That was to be expected from two pieces of the same Soul though.

Ж

Everyone looked up in bewilderment when suddenly all Hollows retreated. That's what it looked like at first. But it didn't take anyone long to figure out that they've attacked the hooded boy who oh-so-cleverly released quite a lot of spiritual pressure, lurking all the Hollows to come and get him.

"Stupid idiot" Ishida murmured under his breath. It was just like Ichigo to go off and fight on his own. However, the Quincy's eyes, just like everyone else's, widened when they realized that the hooded boy wasn't fighting alone. There was someone with him. Someone who looked all too familiar, who had an all too familiar sword and an all too familiar attack that was being used almost all the time.

"That's Getsuga Tenshō alright" Ishida said in an unbelieving tone. What the hell was going on?

"I-Ichigo?" Renji asked bewildered. How could this be? The orange haired kid was supposed to be dead. Hell, the redhead saw with his own eyes how his spiritual body disintegrated back in Hueco Mundo after Ichimaru was defeated. Yet here he was, fighting alongside that hooded guy, whoever he was.

"It… can't be" Rukia said in a shaky voice as she felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. He was here. He was back. He really returned. She didn't care how he did it. What mattered was that he was there. Soon, she could embrace him again. She could talk to him. Tell him how sorry she was. Ask him to forgive her…

However, her hopes were crushed brutally as Ichigo defeated the last Hollow… and the hooded boy pierced his chest soon after, killing him instantly.

Ж

Tsuchiro clicked his tongue as the last Hollow fell and shouldered his reversed Zangetsu.

"Take me back, King, before I'll ask you for a duel… since we have never dueled in the Real World you know. Might be interesting" the Hollow said with a twisted smirk on his face without turning back. Ichigo chuckled.

"We'll do it sometime, Tsuchiro. Ready to go back for now?" A nod being the only thing he received as a response, Ichigo readied his sword, completely unaware of the glances his friends were giving him from the ground. He never understood why he could only take his other self back to his Inner World by 'killing' him. Oh well…

"Kaeru****, Tsuchiro" he said quietly as he jumped forward and plunged his sword into Tsuchiro's back, piercing right through so that it came out of his other self's chest.

"Until next time you call me out, King" Tsuchiro said before he turned to white dust that swiftly merged with Ichigo's sealed Zanpakutō. Instinctively, the half-Shinigami half-Hollow knew that his other self was once again in his Inner World.

But the sudden change in Rukia's reiatsu told him that whether Tsuchiro really was back or not should be the last of his worries. The orange haired boy cursed himself for his stupidity. Of all the things he could have done, he forced Rukia to suffer by watching 'him' 'die'… again. He was such an idiot…

He didn't have to look down to guess what she looked like right now. Her Kuchiki mask would still be in place, most likely. It would be her eyes that would be killing him. Those eyes that always showed him everything, whether she wanted them to or not.

Sighing, he allowed himself just one glance at his friends. Ishida, Chad and Inoue were staring with wide eyes, as if they couldn't believe what they just saw. Renji was outright furious. And Rukia…

Ichigo's heart almost broke again when he saw her. As expected, her face didn't show anything off. But one glance into her eyes was enough for him to want to kill himself. What did he see there you might ask. Think twice before you ask that question. Do you really, _really_ want to know? You do? Then I will tell you.

Her eyes bore the traces of crushed hope. There was also a little bit of surprise and happiness, but it was more than clear that it would disappear before long, replaced by the pain that was already settling there. And then, there was a look of sadness. It was the look of a person whose soul was broken into pieces, brought back together hastily just for the sake of being broken again. It was the look of a person who was hurting more than she could bear. And the orange haired boy couldn't stand to see that look in her eyes, especially since he knew that he was the one who put it there. But at the same time, he knew that as he was now, in his present situation, he could do nothing to make it go away.

So, as much as he hated doing it, he did the only thing he could right now. He used shunpō and left.

Ж

Rukia just stood there completely paralyzed as she watched the hooded guy race off with shunpō. She wanted to go after him and make him pay for what he just did, but her body didn't cooperate; she was frozen in place.

"Like Hell I'm going to let you run off again" she heard Ishida say as the Quincy started following the mysterious male with Hirenkyaku. Orihime and Sado took off not long afterwards. The red haired Shinigami seemed to want to follow them, but thought better of it when he noticed the state Rukia was in.

Deciding it was more important to snap his raven haired friend out of her stupor, he forced her to accept that Ishida and the others could take care of it for now and practically carried the protesting girl back to Urahara's, ignoring her yells that they needed to find the hooded boy and capture him while there was still a slight chance of finding him.

"We will find him once you rest and calm down a little" he said simply, cutting of any further discussion.

XxX

Ichigo sighed as he stopped after a few minutes of high-speed running and leaned against a wall of a nearby house, practically banging his head against the cement. God, he was such an idiot! Here he was, wanting to spare his love any additional pain and ended up only adding more to the pile. Just great. He was such a freaking idiot!

A hand grabbing his sleeve dragged him out of his thoughts and the amber eyed boy turned his head only to see the dark haired Quincy staring back at him. Cursing in his thoughts, Ichigo forced his sleeve free and jumped a safe distance away.

"Quit fooling around! I'm done with your game, Kurosaki!" Ishida almost yelled at him, annoyance evident in his eyes. The orange haired boy froze, if only for an instant, but decided to play dumb again, just like he did with his father. Uryū was probably just testing him anyway. There was no way the black haired boy recognized the ex-Shinigami… right?

"I don't know who you're talking about, Quincy, but I'm afraid you've got the wrong person" he stated calmly. He didn't fail to notice that the other boy's hands were now curled into fists.

"Stop acting like an idiot Kurosaki! I'm through with your crap! I know it's you, so quit the game!" his friend with glasses yelled again. Ichigo sweat dropped. It looked like Ishida was serious about this one.

"And I repeat: you got the wro—"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Ichigo!" two familiar voices interrupted him as Inoue and Yatsutora caught up. The Quincy smirked.

"Are you going to tell me that _all three of us_ got the wrong guy?" he asked in a cocky voice. The half-Soul Reaper half-Hollow had to admit, he had no possibility of trying to fool his friends any longer. He really shouldn't have been surprised and he really wasn't. He just couldn't help but notice the irony of things: the more he tried to conceal his identity, the more revealing he became and the more people recognized him. And the biggest irony was that aside from his family, the person who was the closest to him was still clueless about who he was. Not that he was going to complain. He sighed.

"May I know how you figured it out?" he asked in a defeated tone as he lifted his cowl ever so slightly. Uryū's smirk widened.

"Well, for starters, no one but you could give me a lecture like that on working together when the situation asked for it," he said. The amber eyed boy felt like face palming himself. He should have figured that the re-make of the 'united front conversation' would tell Ishida more than he needed in order to put the puzzle together.

"Well… Your spiritual pressure might have changed, Kurosaki-kun… but the core scent is still the same," Orihime said shyly before flashing a grin at him. "I'd recognize it anywhere," she added and Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her. That should really be more than obvious. She had proven to be incredibly good at finding him several times already.

"Your hand-to-hand fighting style hasn't changed," Chad said simply and Ichigo almost laughed. Really what else could he expect? If there was anything that could give him away, it would be little things like that. Things he couldn't conceal no matter how hard he tried.

"I really should have known better," he said simply as he leaned back against the wall of the house. "Should have known better than to think I could fool you guys, I mean," he explained with a small smile. Orihime grinned back at him, while Chad and Ishida allowed themselves little smirks.

"It's good to have you back, Kurosaki," Uryū said simply while adjusting his glasses. The amber eyed boy sighed as he looked at his friends again.

"It's good to be back, I guess," he replied, but this answer didn't really apply to him. It wasn't like he was totally and completely back. He'd leave sooner or later. He was just 'passing through' you could say. "I can't but notice the irony though. To think that aside from my family, the person whom I'd consider the closest to me doesn't seem to notice a thing. Renji neither for that matter. And I doubt it's because I'm a good actor."

"True, it wouldn't be because of that," Ishida said in a cocky voice that made Ichigo's eyes twitch in annoyance, but he tried to keep his temper in check.

"Why didn't you tell her though, Kurosaki-kun? Wouldn't she be happy if she knew?" Orihime asked confused. He was about to reply, when she added as an afterthought: "Maybe we should tell her…"

"Don't," he interrupted suddenly, startling everyone. When he noticed their questioning eyes, he averted his gaze to the ground.

"I… don't want her to know," he said so silently it was almost a whisper. Inoue couldn't help but notice the sadness and pain that flashed through his eyes in that moment, but found it was not her place to question him, so she just nodded her head.

"Why not?" surprisingly, it was Chad who asked. Ichigo didn't answer for a while as he let himself slide down the wall. He looked upset… defeated even. It was one of the very few times that his friends saw him like this, especially since their escapade to Hueco Mundo just before the decisive battle.

"It's just better if she doesn't know," the orange haired boy forced himself to say, all the while hoping that the tears that started welling up in his eyes wouldn't fall or be noticed by the others. He wanted to tell Rukia the truth. He really did. He wanted to be able to be with her again, to lift some of the burden she was carrying on her own… to ease her pain.

But he knew that if he did, he would only obtain the result opposite of the one he wanted. So he said nothing and hid behind his cowl, wishing that she would never see who he really was. So far he was lucky, but he couldn't say how long he was going to have this much luck. Judging from the growing number of people who recognized him, probably not for long.

"And would you mind explaining that other you we saw just a few minutes ago?" Ishida asked, sensing that his orange haired friend (not that he would ever call him that to his face) did not want to talk about the issue. Ichigo's tense body relaxed slightly at the change if topic.

"That was my Inner Hollow as I always see him in my Inner World," he replied. "I've learned to let him out."

"Your Inner Hollow? You still have one?" Ishida asked astonished and Ichigo cursed inwardly, sensing more questions coming up. He sighed as he stood back up.

"Yup, I still have one" he replied as he hid his face behind his cowl again. "Well, it was nice chatting with you guys, but I'd better get going."

And just like that, he vanished from their sight via shunpō. But this time, Uryū decided against chasing him.

XxX

Later that evening, Ichigo lay restlessly on his bed in the room the Vizards always had ready for him. He was a part of their group they said, so he would always be welcome at their home and would always have a place there. They were treating him like a member of a family, no matter what he truly was, and for that he was grateful. It was good to have at least one place on earth where you felt like you belonged. Now that he was truly dead, he hardly felt that way about his home anymore… but it didn't change the fact that he loved and missed his true family.

Turning once more, Ichigo covered his ears and squeezed his blue eyes (he was using his gigai again) shut tightly. He was hearing them again, the last words he heard from Rukia before he… well, 'died' was the only word that fit, really. He couldn't figure out why he was hearing them though. Sure, it hurt to hear her say such things, but he knew that if she knew the truth she would never say it. And in her eyes he saw the regret, back on day one, so he was quite sure she regretted saying them. And he felt like she wanted to apologize for them. She didn't mean them.

So why did he keep hearing them now?

"_**Ichigo,"**_ he suddenly heard Zangetsu in his mind. He didn't need to ask to know what his Zanpakutō wanted, so the now brown haired boy forced his breathing to become even and tuned out the haunting words. Before he knew it, he was in his Inner World in his Shinigami uniform and without the mask pieces. Just like before the incident with Gin. And contrary to what he expected, it wasn't raining.

"What is it, Old Man?" Ichigo asked, trying to ignore the words that were now echoing even louder in his mind. Geez, why was he hearing them again?

"Come with me," the spirit replied as he started walking. Ichigo followed without hesitation, eager to know what his mentor wanted to tell or show him. He recognized the place immediately when they arrived.

"The Connection Point?" he asked bewildered as his eyes fell on the familiar, tall, bright blue building surrounded by black flames again. Zangetsu shook his head.

"The Source," he corrected. The amber eyed boy raised an eyebrow.

"What's the difference between the two? I thought it was two names for one and the same place?" he said, eyeing the spirit of his Zanpakutō questioningly.

"The Connection Point is merely a part of the Source. In this case, it would be any of the windows. The Source itself is what gives you power: it's the skyscraper and the flames," the dark haired man explained calmly and the carrot-top nodded in understanding. Sensing another question, Zangetsu continued speaking.

"I told you that through here you could enter the Inner World of the people closest to you, both family and friends. And you asked if through here you could also hear their thoughts and vice-versa," Ichigo's mentor said, his words causing the orange head to look up.

"Oh yeah, you never answered that," he said simply, still desperately trying to tune out Rukia's words. Seriously, they were driving him crazy!

"Do you have your answer now?" the Zanpakutō asked calmly and Ichigo's eyes widened in understanding. It wasn't really in his head that these words were echoing, but in someone else's. And there was only one person who could think of them.

Curiously, Ichigo scanned through the windows of the building, one after another. It wasn't hard to find the right one though.

"Go," Zangetsu said simply when Ichigo didn't move for a while. "She needs you, and you can hardly help her in any other way."

Nodding, this time in agreement, Ichigo took a few steps back before running to the edge of the skyscraper he was standing on and jumping towards the Source. He used his reiatsu to find footing in midair, something he didn't know he could do in his Inner World as well, and slowly walked over to the corresponding Connection Point. He didn't hesitate. His heart was urging him to go and this time, he was going to follow its call without second thought.

And so, the Death God-Hollow-Hybrid walked through the Connection Point, not even wondering how he had fit in the small window frame. And before he knew it, he was already in someone else's Inner World. The Inner World of someone he thought he could never meet again, no matter in what way that would be. And yet here he was, just about to see her again, for it was _her_ Inner World. He was in Rukia's Inner World.

* * *

*** Gentei Kaihou – Japanese for 'Limit Release'. Hope I spelled it correctly…**

**** Santen Kesshun, okurikaesu – literally 'triple heavenly linking shield, send back'. Orihime's improved shield technique.**

***** Hakkei! Saa, Tsuchiro – literally 'Release internal power! Come now, Tsuchiro'. The new technique that Ichigo's Hollow taught him in the previous chapter. It's not too bad is it?**

****** Kaeru, Tsuchiro – literally 'come home, Tsuchiro'. The 'spell' that reverses the technique of release that Ichigo learned from his Hollow. In order to work properly, Ichigo has to 'kill' his other self by piercing/slicing him with his sword.**

* * *

**Here, all done. Hope you liked it. Please, press the green button below and leave a review if you don't mind, ok? It surely will make me happy XD**


	9. Lovers' Meeting

**Hey there people! Sorry for the long (long? LONG? What the Hell am I talking about, it was just a week and a half!) wait. I still typed it sooner than expected, and my other fics are suffering because of it, but for once I don't care.**

**Anyway, as promised, an even longer chapter than before (14800 words, 21 pages), no action whatsoever and a nice explanation why this story is labeled Romance. I still held back though, because at some point I realized that if I continued the scene, the story should have a rating rise, and I didn't want that. Hope you enjoy anyway though XD**

**Oh, and TANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I really appreciate them. Please, keep 'em coming :D (By the way, this story is breaking my record on receiving feedback… am I getting better or is it just luck?)**

**One ****WARNING: The characters are probably (read: definitely) HEAVILY OOC, but, just this once, I'll ask you to bear with it. I couldn't write the chapter otherwise really, and if it bothers anyone I'm sorry.**

**Well now, I end my babbling here, on with the somewhat sad chapter… well, sad at the beginning LOL**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:**

_**Lug**_**: Well, I agree that the reason why Ichigo doesn't tell the truth can seem stupid at first, but I took that when I tried to put myself in his/Rukia's shoes… and I realized that it was easier and less painful to think that someone you loved is dead and simply gone forever than to accept the fact that he's alive, but you will never ever be able to meet him again. That's why Ichigo is doing this after all, and I don't think he's wrong. I haven't experienced it of course, but I don't think I want to. Other than that, I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the review.**

_**Clavin**_**: Glad you liked it, thanks for the review, hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well. It's especially for you, you know XD Happy reading, I hope I met your expectations with this :3**

**Reader's key:**

"This is normal speech"

"_This is a memory of words heard before_"

"_This is speech in a Flashback"_

"**This is Shirosaki speaking in Ichigo's head"**

"_**This is Zangetsu speaking in Ichigo's head"**_

'_These are thoughts and Ichigo speaking to Shirosaki and Zangetsu while not in his inner world_'

_Hollows speaking_

"**This is** **hollowfied Ichigo (aka Ichigo in Ressurección form) speaking**"

**Thousand Thanks to **_**StrawBerryFlutterBy**_** for edits once again!**

* * *

_Chapter 9 – Lovers' meeting_

The second Ichigo stepped through the window, he immediately knew that he was already in _her_ Inner World. He ignored how he knew it. He just did. However, he was quite surprised where he had landed, for it wasn't a snowy hill with a cherry blossom tree. Instead, it felt like he was surrounded by water, as if he was swimming in a lake. A very cold lake at that.

Raising his head, he saw light above him and narrowed his eyes. '_They say don't go in the direction of the light_' he thought as a smile found its way to his features. '_But I can hardly do anything else right now._'

With that being said, Ichigo quickly put his swimming skills to use and swam towards the light he saw. Soon enough, just as he expected, his head broke through the water's surface after he forced his way through a thin layer of ice. After a quick look around, the ex-Shinigami noticed a small, snowy island not too far off. Without wasting any time, he swam over to get out of the icy water, breaking through the layer of ice in front of him in the process. To his biggest surprise, despite the harsh wind and the gentle fall of snow ruling the area above the lake, along with the fact that he was nothing short of drenched, he wasn't really cold. In fact, he didn't feel cold at all.

He sighed as he looked around again, trying to figure out which way to go in order to find Rukia. Since he entered her Inner World through the Connection Point in his own Inner World, he figured he must be at her Source right now. Question was, where to go if he wanted to find the black haired Shinigami.

After a look at his surroundings, Ichigo noticed that he was in a canyon of sorts, so the first direction he had to go to was upright, out of the chasm. He glanced at the 'walls' of the canyon. They were perfectly flat and upright. There was no way he would find any footing or anything to grab with his hands on them, so climbing was out of the question. Somehow, he was reminded of the Shattered Shaft, only that then, climbing was possible. It was him who had his arms bound behind his back.

As Ichigo slowly tried to figure out how to get out of this hole, he suddenly remembered that he was able to stand on mid air in his Inner World, much like he was able to do it anywhere else, be it the World of the Living, Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. So why should Rukia's Inner World be any different?

Smirking to himself, Ichigo jumped up and used the air as footing to jump higher and higher, until he was out of the canyon. What he saw once outside of it made him speechless. Rukia's Inner World was a seemingly lifeless, meadow, the hills of which were completely covered in snow. Unlike in Ichigo's World, the sky here had the beautiful mixture of blue, red and orange. Looking to his left, he quickly understood why. Those were the colors the setting sun gave the heavens.

There were no clouds in the sky, but that didn't stop the snow from falling. On some hills, there were smaller or bigger trees, all covered in frozen water particles. The scenery was a beautiful sight indeed. A sight which made Ichigo forget how to breathe. The lone, high mountain on the horizon only added to the beauty of the scenery.

Suddenly curious as to how her Source looked like from above, Ichigo turned back around and took a look at the canyon he had just been in.

The Source proved to be not a lake like Ichigo had expected, but a big river with an extremely strong current. Sometimes, there were floes, some smaller some bigger, carried by the fierce movement of the water. The orange haired boy wondered slightly how he didn't notice the river or the noise it made while he was down there, but he quickly dismissed the thought as he took a look at the Connection Point. In the middle of the fierce river that seemed to want to destroy everything in its way, there were a few small islands, discarded all along the water's surface. On each of the snow-covered islands, there was a small lake, but that was pretty much all they had in common.

The first island Ichigo's eyes fell upon was the one that led to his head, no doubt. To his surprise, it was the only island which lake was frozen over. That explained why his head had to fight its way through ice as he arrived, but the orange haired boy couldn't understand why his would be the only lake that was frozen. It was only after a few moments of thinking that he realized it must have been because he tried to close himself off from his friends… and because Rukia herself thought he was dead.

He sighed as he looked back at the Connection Point. In the middle of 'his' frozen lake, there was a black circle, filled out in black as well. Only on instinct did Ichigo know what it represented. It was a black sun. So his 'seal' was a black sun, huh? Ichigo made a mental note to ask Zangetsu later if the seals on the Connection Point meant anything.

Beside the lake, there was a tree on 'his' island and Ichigo was surprised to notice that it was the same cherry blossom tree that he saw in the window on his side of the 'doorway'. It was covered in snow and the amber-eyed boy could also see icicles hanging from the branches here and there. Some of them shined with the familiar blue glow, others reflected the also familiar black flame. One branch of the tree was hanging right over the lake and there was a short black chain hanging of it, the use of which Ichigo could only guess right now.

Averting his eyes to the other islands, Ichigo didn't fail to notice that each lake was different in size and that 'his' was definitely the biggest one, though he did not know what it meant.

Another island caught the orange haired boy's attention, mainly because of the state of the water of its lake, but also due to the grave stone right next to it. As for the lake's water, it was crystal clear, much clearer than the water in any other lake, and it gave a view to a place that looked like the hall of a palace. It was decorated in a very fancy way, as if there was an extremely rich person living there. Granted, it was an intimidating sight but Ichigo could tell that said castle was definitely empty and probably lonely too. Who would have such a sad Inner World?

'_Like I'm one to talk_' Ichigo though and fought the urge to chuckle inwardly. As if his Inner World seemed more inviting. It was a completely deserted, empty town for heaven's sake! It was the exact opposite of Rukia's Inner World, the one in which he was standing now. Granted, it wasn't crowded or loud, but it was definitely more inviting than his was. The scenery itself was so beautiful that it just asked someone to come over.

Shaking his head, Ichigo looked back to the lone island with the unimaginably clean and clear lake. If he concentrated enough, he could make out familiar pink flower petals literally raining behind the window of the castle. It was more than enough for him to figure out who that lonely and empty World belonged to (not that his own was any better).

'_But I at least have more than just one person there with me while I'm there, unlike Byakuya. And they are together while I'm gone, unlike Byakuya's sword, who is on his own. How must it feel to be alone in such a lonely place?_' the orange haired boy questioned himself. But then he realized… wasn't every Inner World the same? They looked differently, but in the end, weren't they all lonely places?

'_No,_' Ichigo thought to himself. Not all Inner Worlds were lonely ones. Rukia's was the best example he knew right now. Sure, there wasn't anyone to keep you company if you were alone, but contrary to Ichigo's own Inner World, the scenery around you made you feel that you're not alone. Despite the wintery weather, the nature seemed to keep you company. Ichigo felt like he could just sit there and stare at the water for hours without getting bored, or just lie at the meadow and watch the never ending sunset. Even sitting on the lone mountain he saw on the horizon and staring at the view was a tempting thought. No, Rukia's Inner World was everything but lonely, even if you were on your own, like Ichigo was now.

Sighing, Ichigo let his eyes travel to the other islands. One led to a gigantic and definitely old tree. Next to the lake, there was a small group of monkeys and snakes, surprisingly not jumping at each other's throats or anything. The two different species of animals actually seemed to be having fun by playing some sort of weird game and using red pineapples as their balls. Ichigo snickered at the sight. How he'd love to taunt Renji about this…

There was one that showed a vast ocean and another leading to a desert. Yet another one showed a volcano, and another one a place so chaotic that Ichigo had no clue what or where it might be. There were more islands still, some with lakes filled with snow instead of water, some that were empty, some with dried out lakes. The orange haired Shinigami didn't know what all these diversities meant, but he wasn't about to take his sweet time guessing.

Ichigo smiled sadly as he stood up, for the first time actually looking at the other side of the canyon. He expected more meadows there, but was greeted with the sight of an amazing mountain chain. It was an impressive sight to say the least, but it was also intimidating. In the light of the setting sun, though, it stole one's breath away.

'_Her Inner World is truly beautiful. Just like her_' Ichigo thought softly as he let his eyes travel over the scenery again. He just couldn't seem to get enough of the amazing sight. It reminded him a lot of a trip to the mountains with his family, when his mother was still alive. It was the only time he remembered going to the mountains with his family, but it was definitely one he would never forget.

Suddenly, a loud noise, followed by a small earthquake, snapped him out of his thoughts. Turning around, he saw a humongous wave of snow destroying everything in its way and going straight at him. His eyes widened as he jumped back swiftly and stood in mid air, watching the snow cascade down the canyon walls like a waterfall and into the river. Once the avalanche fell into the stream of the Source, the boy's amber orbs widened as he heard _those_ words again, louder than ever before. That was more than enough to remind him why he had come in the first place. He had to find Rukia somehow… and he had to do it fast. Sadly, he could not rely on his ability to sense reiatsu. He was in her Inner World. Everything around him felt like her. No, he had to find her in some other way.

'_But where to look?_' the orange haired boy wondered as his gaze fell upon the lone mountain on the horizon. Without hesitation, he jumped back onto solid ground and started running towards it. He didn't know how, he just had a feeling that Rukia was there. So that was where he went.

XxX

The mountain proved to be much closer than it first looked. It still took him some time to arrive there, though, for he was often disturbed by the avalanches that were definitely coming from that specific mountain. Ichigo scowled as he avoided another wave of snow and waited for it to pass him completely before continuing. He didn't understand why such a thing would happen in her World. Why destroy the beautiful scenery with such devastating avalanches? Why destroy the beauty of her own World? Ichigo did not know the answer to these questions, but he really wanted to. He just couldn't comprehend the meaning behind them.

After avoiding another avalanche, the orange haired boy noticed that he had already arrived at the foot of the mountain. A small path free of snow was going up, showing him which way to go. The orange haired boy hastily started climbing up the mountain, stopping only to sometimes 'hug' the stone-wall in order to avoid being washed away by another avalanche. He didn't fail to notice that the higher he went, the more often they happened and the fiercer the snow storm got.

Ichigo wouldn't be stopped by something as trivial as bad weather, though, as he stubbornly continued to make his way up. Though it still took him a while to even reach the middle of the mountain, he soon found out that it seemed to be enough.

"Who is there?" a somewhat familiar, female voice suddenly spoke through the snow and before he knew it, Ichigo found himself before a beautiful, slim woman in a long, white kimono. Her long hair was also white, but her eyes were violet, just like Rukia's. She held a long, white blade at Ichigo's neck, but the orange haired boy was not afraid of her. He knew who was standing before him. It could only be one person.

"_Mae, Sode no Shirayuki,_" Rukia's voice echoed in his mind. He often heard her say that phrase when she released her Shikai.

"You're Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia's Zanpakutō, aren't you?" he asked calmly. Her violet eyes, so much like Rukia's, widened slightly before the blade was removed from his throat and sheathed. The woman nodded slightly.

"Yes," she said as her gaze softened somewhat. "You must be Kurosaki Ichigo, am I correct?" she asked with a small smile. This time, it was a pair of amber orbs that widened.

"How did you know?" he asked curiously, somewhat surprised that she recognized him. To his even greater surprise, Shirayuki only laughed.

"I don't think anyone else would find a way to get here," she said with a smile. However, it faded rather quickly. "It's good you came," she then said as Ichigo eyed her worriedly. She was serious now and seemed worried as well. "I do not think Rukia could keep up like this much longer."

Her voice was sad and Ichigo found himself staring at his feet. Whatever was wrong here, he had a feeling it was his fault.

"What exactly happened to her?" he asked. He knew that his supposed death had taken its toll on the raven haired Shinigami, but before he met her, he wanted to know just how bad the damage was. Not because he feared he wouldn't be able to repair it all, but because he wanted to know what to expect. Shirayuki sighed.

"After your argument… pieces of which we're hearing now, fierce winds that signified Rukia's anger was the only thing bothering me," she said in a sad tone. "When she understood it was a misunderstanding…"

"She did?" Ichigo interrupted her, a little surprised. He was about to apologize for interrupting her, but Shirayuki beat him to it by responding, obviously not fazed at all by his lack of manners.

"Yes. Three days after you left on your mission she found out. Chad told her about your mother," the white haired woman replied with a smile. "She was happy for you then and the wind ceased. But she still felt bad for telling you the things she did." Ah, so Chad really _did_ tell her, much like Ichigo thought he would.

Suddenly, Shirayuki fell silent. Ichigo turned his head to look at her and saw her sad expression and lowered head. He figured it must be hard for a part of Rukia to talk about what happened next, so he didn't press her. He gave the Zanpakutō-spirit all the time she needed.

"Then, Renji told her about your death," Shirayuki said silently and Ichigo looked away, feeling guilty. "The avalanches started then, showing her sadness, grief, guilt and despair. We haven't talked since then either."

Ichigo's eyes widened. So the avalanches in her World were like the rain in his own? But wait, what did Shirayuki mean by…

"What do you mean, you haven't talked since then?" he asked just as quietly, ignoring the waterfall of snow that was now mere inches away from him as another avalanche fell down to the meadows. Shirayuki closed her eyes as a lonely tear rolled down her cheek. The violet-eyed woman quickly wiped it away and held more tears at bay.

"She was so overcome by grief, sadness and guilt that I couldn't get through to her. I still hear her when she calls me, but no matter what I try to say to her to ease her pain and help her regain herself, my voice doesn't reach her," Shirayuki replied sadly. The ex-Shinigami's eyes widened when he heard that. Then, his signature scowl settled on his face, only deeper than normally and filled more with concern than anything else. The orange haired boy knew the news had affected his love, but he didn't have any idea it could be this bad. Apparently, Rukia was in more pain than he had ever imagined.

"I was trying to convince her that you couldn't have died," Shirayuki continued, bringing him back from his thoughts. "I tried to tell her that you would never just leave her and die. But my words never reached her."

'And how did you know I was alive?' Ichigo wanted to ask, but stopped himself. Even though he was here, he wouldn't tell Rukia the truth. And since he had to be sure that she wouldn't find out any other way, he couldn't let her Zanpakutō spirit know the truth either.

"Without realizing it, Rukia started to destroy herself. She tried to hide her pain from others and somehow succeeded, but that left her to fight it all by herself. And it was a losing battle from the very beginning," Shirayuki continued, finally glancing at Ichigo. He didn't know how he understood her look. He just did.

"And the fact that she saw… an image of me fight and apparently get 'killed' today didn't help, did it?" he asked. It was a rhetorical question, so Shirayuki didn't bother to answer it. It was more than obvious that seeing _that_ had pushed Rukia over the edge on which she was balancing (very insecurely too) for the past year. Rukia's Zanpakutō shot him a questioning look, her eyes wide.

"It was… just an image of you?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice. Ichigo almost smirked at hearing her speaking in this tone of voice, as if it was impossible that someone else looked like him or created an image of him of sorts. Seriously, after Aizen she should be accustomed to the thought that her eyes were fooled.

"You didn't really think it was me, did you?" he asked her. She answered with another question.

"Then how come you're here?" the question didn't seem to have anything to do with the topic, but Ichigo knew what she meant. Rukia's sword had thought he was alive. She had believed it. After seeing his alter ego being 'killed' by him, she lost that hope as well and thought that as a dead spirit, he could come to Rukia's Inner World, something he wasn't able to do alive.

Knowing that, Ichigo was sure that Shirayuki had never found the Connection Point that was out behind the meadows of snow, but he was grateful for that. So he only sighed and told her the half-lie he was going to tell Rukia as well. The white haired woman nodded in understanding when he finished and replied with a sad 'I see'. Ichigo sighed.

"Can you tell me where she is?" he asked finally. He knew enough. Enough to know that Rukia wouldn't be able to continue like this for long. He had to find her. He had to help her and he had to do it quickly. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't want to meet her. Quite the contrary in fact, he was itching to.

Shirayuki nodded and motioned with her hand for him to follow her. She didn't follow the pathway though, entering a cave nearby instead. Said cave quickly proved to be a tunnel, which proved to lead to the other side of the mountain. The same view of the snowy meadows could be seen as on the other side, too, Ichigo realized, only that there wasn't a mountain chain in the distance, only the meadows.

"I can tell you which way you have to go, but I can't go with you. Rukia's in her dream land now. One of the places where I can't follow," Shirayuki said calmly and he nodded, showing that he listened and understood. "Just follow the pathway here until you reach the first cave to your left. Enter it, and you'll be at your destination," she said, mentioning the pathway in front of them. "I can't go any further than this. Her sorrow is blocking my way, just like it's preventing her from hearing me," the Zanpakutō said in a sad voice. Ichigo nodded once again and started walking.

He didn't get far before another avalanche was heard and felt through the ground. Both Shirayuki and himself clung to the side of the mountain as the wave of snow fell down. In the corner of his eye, the orange haired ex-Shinigami noticed the white haired woman watching the devastation evolving in front of her with teary eyes. Devastation she could not stop.

"Please," she spoke suddenly, her voice even quieter than before. "Please, help her," she said. Ichigo's eyes softened. She looked different, but she was so much like Rukia that it broke his heart to see her that way. Seeing as she was a part of Rukia, it wasn't very surprising though.

"I will," he said with determination as he turned his back to her and started walking again, before the next avalanche could stop him. However, Shirayuki said something that made him stop dead in his track.

"And don't die again on your way there. The avalanches are getting more devastating now."

Don't die. Hearing Shirayuki saying these words to him reminded him of his fight against Aizen… and the voice he heard when he thought it was over. 'Don't die' it had said then. And it was the same voice too…

"It was you!" he said suddenly, turning once more to face her. When he noticed the white haired woman's questioning look, he explained. "When I was fighting against Aizen… When I almost fell and Rukia tried to catch me… I heard someone call out to me, telling me not to die. It was you I heard, wasn't it," it wasn't a question, it was a statement, for he was sure it had been her. He recognized her voice now, especially when she repeated the exact same words. And the small smile that was now visible on her lips also told him he was right.

"So you heard?" she asked him, and when he nodded her smile widened. "I was hoping you would. Just like Rukia hoped you'd survive. She didn't want you to die… and neither did I."

Ichigo didn't ask her why that was. He had his own little theory on that one. He didn't ask how he was able to even hear her either. It was probably thanks to the Connection Point, even if it was ways away from here.

Another avalanche brought him out of his thoughts, nearly crushing him in the process. The amber-eyed boy swore under his breath.

"I'd better be going now," he said and as soon as the waterfall of snow ended, he was on his way as fast as he could. Soon enough, he was in front of the cave that Shirayuki had mentioned. Taking a deep breath, he reached a hand out before entering it.

'_Get ready, Rukia,_' he thought with a smirk as a white light enveloped him. '_I'm coming._'

XxX

The sight that greeted him once the light faded was the last one he expected and he gasped in surprise.

He was above Karakura Town and it was in total ruins. It reminded him of how the false Karakura looked like after the battle. That wasn't what surprised him though. What did surprise him was the fact that between the rubble beneath him, there were bloody and completely disfigured corpses of nearly every friend from Soul Society he ever had. If the orange haired boy didn't know that it was a dream, or more like a terrible nightmare, he would have screamed in agony. Only that someone else did that for him as an agonized, female cry pierced the dead silence of the battlefield.

"ICHIGOOOOO!" he would recognize this scream anywhere. That was definitely Rukia calling him.

Feeling as if his heart was beating in his stomach instead of his chest (not that he still had a heart), the amber-eyed boy quickly shunpō-ed in the direction the scream was coming from. Soon enough, he saw her. She was on her knees and shaking violently, as if she were crying. She was holding someone… or rather someone's corpse in her arms. Ichigo felt his non-existing heart stop when he noticed that the corpse she was holding was actually him.

He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand seeing her like that. He had to do something about it. That's what he came for after all, right? Without any further hesitation, the orange haired boy ran towards the raven haired Shinigami, calling her name.

"Rukia!" he called as he approached, but she didn't react, almost as if she hadn't heard him. "Rukia!" he tried again with the same result. He was now beside her and dropped to his knees at the sight of her pained expression. The amber-eyed boy reached out his hand to touch her, but even when he did, she still didn't seem to notice him.

"Rukia, look at me!" he told her, but she refused, still clinging to his bloodied corpse like a lifeline.

"No… Ichigo… You can't… You can't… Please, don't leave me," she said between her sobs as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Ichigo could feel a cold hand gripping his heart, or at least feeling the pain of the grip in the place where his heart used to be, as he now laid his hands on both of her shoulders, trying to force her to turn around and let go of the unreal corpse.

"Rukia, I'm here. I'm right here!" he tried. No use. Ichigo understood now what Shirayuki meant by not being able to communicate with Rukia. The raven haired girl just didn't let any sound coming from her soul into her mind. And Ichigo was now fed up with being ignored, especially since he wanted to help her. So he forced her to let go of the corpse. As soon as she did, it fell to the ground, where it was lost among the many other corpses.

"No! ICHIGO!" Rukia screamed and the pain in Ichigo's chest only intensified at the sound. She sounded so broken… so desperate. The ex-Shinigami was sure that she wanted to go after his body and retrieve it, but he didn't let her, forcing her into a hug instead.

"Rukia, I'm right here! STOP IT, RUKIA!" he yelled as she tried to break out of his arms. It was then that she stilled in his embrace, her eyes wide. "I'm right here, Rukia," he repeated once more and the violet-eyed girl finally looked up at him. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears.

"Ichi… go?" she asked with disbelief in her trembling voice. Ichigo smiled ever so slightly when she finally noticed him. His embrace tightened.

"Yeah. I'm here, Rukia," he replied. She hugged him back then, her body beginning to tremble in his hold. It was then that the scenery around them shattered like glass revealing that they were still on the mountain in her Inner World. She didn't seem to notice though.

"Is this… Is this a dream?" she asked in a shaky voice and Ichigo could tell without a problem that the raven haired girl was on the verge of tears. The amber-eyed boy hugged her even tighter.

"It's no dream," he replied. He saw her eyes widen for a while before her grip on him intensified as well and she buried her face in his chest, letting the tears fall freely. Ichigo could feel his heart fall apart again when he saw how broken she was. It hurt to see her like that, especially since he knew it was all because of him. And knowing that he had to lie to her now didn't make it any better. Well, half lie. Part of what he was going to say was definitely true.

"I'm… I'm so sorry," her words brought him out of his thoughts and he looked down at her trembling form. The raven haired girl didn't bother to stop her tears, nor did he bother to make her stop. "So sorry," she repeated, removing her hands from around his waist and gripping his kimono instead.

"Sorry for what?" he asked her. It wasn't like he didn't know what she meant. But the orange haired boy wanted her to understand how he felt about it. "There's nothing you should apologize for," he said. Rukia's only response was trying to push herself further into his embrace, as if she still couldn't believe that he was there. Not that Ichigo blamed her for it.

"For… For those terrible words I said… before you… before…" the violet-eyed Shinigami replied between her sobs, but stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue. Ichigo started to rub her back, trying to calm her down. He hated to see her cry more than anything else.

"Stupid idiot," he said softly as she continued to sob into his chest. "I never held a grudge against you in the first place. I don't see why you should apologize," he said simply. Rukia opened her eyes again, not believing him. Was he really forgiving her that easily? It couldn't be. She hurt him incredibly then… the look he gave her was proof of that and it still haunted her. There was no way he would forgive her this quickly. She didn't deserve it.

"But I… I said those terrible words to you… and you haven't done anything wrong… I had no right…"

"It was a misunderstanding, Rukia. Nothing more. I knew you were mad. I knew why. I had no reason to hold it against you. I never did," he interrupted her. Rukia couldn't believe what he was saying. It just wasn't possible.

"But I… I hurt you," she said, her crying finally coming to a stop. He could see that the urge was still there, though. "I hurt you more than I should… and for no reason…"

"And I keep telling you that I don't hold it against you," he said a bit louder this time. This midget could get really annoying sometimes. "Stop dwelling in self-loath, Rukia. You did nothing wrong. There's no reason for you to hate yourself or to blame yourself. If I died, it was because I was stupid enough to _let_ myself be killed for God's sake. There was nothing you could do about it. You weren't even there when it happened, Rukia. It was my own fault, so… stop putting the blame on yourself," Ichigo told her in the calmest tone he could muster. But seeing her so broken… it was just too painful for him. It crushed his heart, even if he didn't have one anymore.

"Ichigo…" she started, but he interrupted her again, this time unable to hide the pain in his voice. Hearing him like that brought new tears to Rukia's violet orbs.

"I can't bear to see you like that, Rukia. I can't stand to see you destroy yourself, for something that wasn't even your fault. Knowing I hurt you… the person who means the world to me… it's just too painful for me," he said. He knew he was acting out-of-character, but frankly he didn't care. He had had enough of bearing this pain. He had to let her know.

The ex-Shinigami slowly released his hold on her and they looked into each other's eyes. The raven haired girl had a hard time not to look away though. She couldn't stand the pain that she saw in those amber depths.

"So please, Rukia. Please, stop destroying yourself and just… just let me go. Stop dwelling in the past and move on."

Rukia lowered her gaze as her eyes began to water again. She brought a hand to her chest as her body started to tremble again. She had suppressed her sadness for more than a year and she just couldn't take it anymore. She had to let it out.

"How… How could I just let you go? You mean too much to me Ichigo. I… I can't just… just forget you… and act… act as though… you never existed," she said between sobs as her tears started to fall again. Immediately, Ichigo's arms wrapped themselves around her again and she felt herself being pulled against his well-build chest. Her hands rose again, grabbing the front of his shihakusho, just as his rubbed her back once more trying to sooth her.

"That's not what I'm asking for," he said quietly. He wanted to continue speaking, but she beat him to it.

"I… All I wanted… was a second chance… a chance to say I'm sorry… to be with you again… I… can't just… just forget you… I… don't want to… lose you again…"

He didn't have to ask to know what she meant. Her second chance was now, when they met. Losing him again was probably her fear that this was the last time she would see him. As her trembling form started shaking even more violently, his embrace tightened. He wanted to do something to stop her tears, but at the same time he knew it was a year worth of crying that she was letting out. And he would let her. He wouldn't force her to conceal her feelings again. It was better to let her let it all out.

"You won't lose me, Rukia," he said as he did his best to not join in with her crying. Damn tears were probably infectious or something. That was the only explanation for his composure problems. "I will always be here, like I always was. I won't leave you, no matter what" he said. She didn't reply and just continued to cry into his chest. At a loss of words that could help ease her pain, he just sat there with her, waiting for her to calm down, not letting go for even a second. He meant what he said. Even if she couldn't know he was alive, even if she thought of him as the enemy, even if she didn't know it was him, Ichigo would never leave her side. He will always be there, protecting her. That, he vowed to himself as the raven haired girl continued to pour her heart out into the front of his kimono. Soon, tired by her tears, she fell asleep in his arms and he still did not let go. Before he left for his own head again, he had to make sure that she would stop hating and blaming herself. That she would move on. That she would let go of the pain that was eating away at her for more than a year.

"I'll always be here, Rukia. I will never leave you again," he whispered into her ear as he laid them both down on the snowy ground before his eyelids shut and he lay there beside her, asleep and yet awake, waiting for her violet orbs to open again.

XxX

When Rukia awoke, she felt someone beside her, sharing his warmth with her. And somehow, that presence was soothing and made her feel safe. It made her feel whole again, a feeling she hasn't felt for more than a year now. And there was only one person who could make her feel that way.

The raven haired Shinigami slowly opened her eyes, but all that she saw was a well-build chest with a quite impressive six pack, clad in a familiar shihakusho. Slowly, her violet eyes traveled up and soon she was gazing into a pair of familiar amber orbs.

"Hey there, sleepy head. Finally awake?" his masculine voice slowly reached her mind as Rukia's eyes widened in realization. Then, she simply nuzzled her head back into his chest with a content smile on her face. It grew once she realized that she was not in her dreamland, but actually in her Inner World. Shirayuki was nowhere to be seen though, but that didn't bother the adopted Kuchiki one single bit. For once, she was glad the Zanpakutō spirit was somewhere else.

"So it wasn't a dream. You're… You're really here, Ichigo," the violet-eyed Shinigami said quietly. And it wasn't a question but a simple statement of the obvious. Ichigo smirked as well as he pulled her closer to him, wondering just how close he could get her to his body.

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied quietly, sighing in content at feeling her so close. He really missed her, and the fact that he kept bumping into her in the World of the Living but she didn't know (and would probably never know… which was for the best) it was him wasn't helping. It felt so good to finally be able to hold her like this and to be with her. God, the orange haired Deputy Death God hasn't even realized just how much he had missed her.

"But… how did you get here? It's my Inner World isn't it? You shouldn't be able to enter this place after all so… what are you doing here right now? And what are you if you're not a dream?" Rukia asked in almost a whisper, her voice shaking lightly again. It felt great to know he was there, to feel his warmth and his body so close to hers… but at the same time, Rukia knew it couldn't be real. Her love shouldn't be there. He was dead. Gone. Leaving her alone for all eternity…

Ichigo bit back a sigh. Now came the part he absolutely didn't like. The part where he had to (at least partially) lie to Rukia. Since he could hardly tell her about the Source, the Connection Point or the fact that he was indeed still alive, he had to give her another story. He hated to lie, but he knew it was for the best. As long as it helped her to move on and let him go, he could walk away happy… at least that's what he kept telling himself.

"I was always here," he replied simply and smiled at Rukia's disbelieving stare as she moved away from him (he could hardly resist the urge to pull her back into his chest, though) and sat up. He did the same.

"What do you mean you were always here?" she asked in a bewildered tone. Ichigo scratched the back of his head nervously as he looked for the right words to phrase his half-lie.

"Well, you might not have been near when I died, but that didn't stop me from leaving my heart with you," he said quietly and inwardly wondered just how big her eyes could get. What he was saying now wasn't even a lie. He _did_ leave his heart with her when he died. Maybe that was why he became a Hollow, since that was the only creature he knew the existence of that didn't need a heart to live… And his heart had long since been with the raven haired girl.

"You… you left your heart… with me?" she asked, suddenly remembering the words Kaien spoke to her before he died. He said something about leaving his heart with her too. When Ichigo nodded, her eyes fell down to the ground. "Why me though? Why not one of your friends or family? They deserved it more than I do," the dark haired Shinigami spoke quietly. She didn't expect him to slap her on the head, even if it was only a light hit. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" she yelled at him as she punched his arm. He didn't even wince, let alone curse at her. He only scowled.

"That's for dwelling in self-loathing again, you idiot," he said in an annoyed tone. When her angry expression dissolved, he continued. "It's up to me to decide who I want to give my heart to, isn't it? I'm the one to decide who to leave it with once I'm gone too. I don't see why you can't accept the fact that I chose you to look after it. Is it so hard for you to believe that I trusted you enough to leave it with you?" Ichigo asked as he shot her a questioning look. The raven haired Shinigami didn't meet his eyes, but he couldn't miss the bitter smile on her face. Needless to say, the orange haired Soul Reaper-Hollow-Hybrid wanted to wipe that look off her face.

"You're hard to understand sometimes," she said quietly, still not looking at him. Ichigo huffed in annoyance.

"Like you're any better, midget," he said, earning himself another punch in the arm and an 'I'm not a midget!' from an infuriated Rukia.

"But anyway," she said when she sat back up, her eyes once again travelling to the ground. It annoyed Ichigo to no end that she wouldn't even look at him and he was trying to figure out a way to make her look up while she continued speaking.

"I just never thought you might leave your heart with someone like me. I mean… the last words you ever heard from me… I'm sure they hurt you a lot. I saw it in your eyes. And I know you wanted to explain, but I was too focused on my own pain to let you do so. And yet you say that you never held a grudge or anything. You said you left your heart with me. I just don't understand how you could do that after what I did to you."

Her words were quiet, almost a whisper, but Ichigo heard them loud and clear. 'I got my payback by dying' he wanted to reply but stopped himself. It wasn't like he planned to die then. He would never inflict any pain on her on purpose. Especially not in such a devastating blow. He sighed.

"Someone I know would say 'Love makes you do weird things sometimes' in such a situation," he said, thinking back to his mother. Whenever she protected him from something, be it something as small as a car splashing water on him when it rained or something as big as saving his life from a Hollow (which took her life) and he would ask her why she protected him, or when his father protected _her_ for a change and she was the one to ask, the reply would always be that same phrase. Love makes you do weird things sometimes.

"But knowing you, that won't be an acceptable answer," he continued as he stole a glance at his love. As expected, her violet orbs were giving him the oh, so loving 'don't-give-me-that-shit' look. He chuckled under his breath before continuing.

"Like I said before, I was never mad at you for saying it. If anything, I was mad at myself for not forcing you to listen. And no matter what, I still love you. That would never change Rukia, and you know that. I gave you my heart even before I died. So why should I not leave it in your hands when I myself was no longer able to hold on to it?"

Rukia's eyes finally looked up at him. Tears were welling up in them again, but this time, they weren't tears of grief or pain… at least that's what he thought.

"And, to return to your question," Ichigo continued, him now being the one looking at the ground. The part where he had to lie was approaching dangerously, and the closer he got there, the more he hated himself for having to lie to her. '_It's for the best though. As long as it eases her pain, it doesn't matter that she can't know the truth and we can't be together. Her happiness is the most important thing to me_' he thought, trying to lie his way out of the guilt. But deep down he knew that it wasn't just that he hated to lie to her. It was also that by not telling her the truth, he was hurting himself… because unlike her, he knew that they were both alive, and yet destined to be apart for the rest of their existence. For the rest of this cursed life-time. And knowing that hurt him more than anything. It was the pain the orange haired boy was trying to spare Rukia. And as long as he succeeded, he would bear the pain that the truth inflicted on him.

"Since I left my heart with you, I was always here. And I tried to reach out to you," that part was definitely a lie. "But you wouldn't let my words reach you. You cut yourself off completely, from me or Sode no Shirayuki. None of us could reach you no matter how hard we tried. I only succeeded today. But trust me Rukia, if I had a chance of reaching you sooner, I would have" that was definitely no lie. At least, it partly wasn't. Rukia did close herself off. And Ichigo surely couldn't reach her before now, although he wished he could… it was for another reason than her isolation, though.

Rukia stared at the ground again. She couldn't deny it. What Ichigo said was true, she did isolate herself. What she didn't notice though, was that by doing that she hurt him as well as herself, since he tried to reach out to her and she purposely pushed him away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Ichigo's head snapped back up to find her violet orbs and make eye contact, but he failed miserably as the raven haired girl refused to look up. Then she heard his sigh again, and when she looked up, he was smiling, before pulling her closer to him again. She didn't hesitate to hug him back.

"There's nothing you should apologize for," the carrot-top replied for the nth time. "The most important thing is that I finally got to explain things to you… And to see you one more time," he said quietly. His words set an alarm off in Rukia's mind and she immediately tightened her grip around him, making any escape impossible. Ichigo almost choked on air when she practically crushed his insides with her grip.

"Does that mean that you… that you'll leave again?" the raven haired Shinigami asked, fearing the answer she might receive. Ichigo was silent for a moment, just staring at her with wide eyes, but since her face was buried in his chest, she didn't notice that. Taking his silence for an affirmative, Rukia had to force herself to not cry again. It wasn't going to help anyway.

"I… I don't want it…" she whispered, trying to find comfort in his embrace. "I don't want you to leave again. I want you to stay, Ichigo… Please… please, don't leave. Stay with me," her whispers were barely hearable now, but he understood what she was saying anyway. His hold on her tightened again, as he tried to comfort her by simply being there.

"I won't leave, Rukia," he finally said. "I left my heart with you. I'm always with you, even if you don't always see or hear me. Sometimes I might seem far away, but I'm always here. You get rid of me that easily you know," he said to her, a smirk finding its way to his lips. And that was true. She wouldn't be getting rid of him any time soon. Even if she didn't know it was him, he would be there, fighting alongside her. He would not leave her alone. Not in a million years. Not now, not ever. He would always be with her, no matter the circumstances. Simply always, without any conditions.

Rukia responded with a small smile of her own as a few lone tears rolled down her cheeks, but she felt they were the last ones she was going to shed. For the first time after he died, she finally felt at peace. She felt as if nothing could get her down. And most importantly, she finally felt that she was not alone. He was there and would always be. Even if it was only in her Inner World that they could meet and even if it wasn't every time she came… it was enough. Just knowing he was there and would never leave her was enough.

And slowly, Rukia's crushed heart finally started to heal.

Ichigo looked at Rukia's peaceful face with a small smile on his lips. The girl had once again fallen asleep in his arms. He didn't blame her though. He saw what kind of dreams she had. If she was having one of those every night, it was no wonder she was tired. And since she slept this much, in her Inner World nonetheless, she was definitely tired.

The orange haired boy failed to notice the white haired woman who stood not too far off from the pair, watching them. Sode no Shirayuki might not be Rukia, but she was still a part of the raven haired Shinigami's soul, so reading the amber-eyed ex-Soul Reaper was nothing new or complicated to her. And she didn't fail to notice the sad look in his eyes. The sad look of a person who wanted to help and accepted to take more pain onto his own shoulders if it meant helping those he cared for. Shirayuki didn't need much time to figure out that the amber-eyed boy was hiding something. And it wasn't a trivial thing either.

'_But still… whatever it is that he's hiding… I have a feeling that he hides it in order to save Rukia more pain… even if it hurts him in the process,_' the Zanpakutō spirit thought to herself as she continued to watch the two lovebirds from afar before turning on her heals and walking away. She trusted Ichigo, even though today was the first time she actually met him. And if he thought that concealing part of the truth was better for Rukia, then she would trust his judgment and wouldn't force him to say anything. He would tell Rukia when the time was right, Shirayuki figured.

Rukia stirred slightly in his hold before her violet orbs opened once more. Did she fall asleep again? Well, apparently that was the case. The raven haired Shinigami was glad to awake just like she had fallen asleep though: in Ichigo's comforting embrace.

"Are you awake yet, Rukia?" Ichigo asked her calmly. When she nodded her head in silent agreement, he released his hold on her somewhat, smirking at how she immediately leaned in closer to him.

"You should go back now, Rukia. It's almost time to wake up," he said but she didn't let go. '_I should probably head back too,_' he thought.

"Not yet. Just a little longer," Rukia murmured into his chest as she refused to let go. Sighing, he pulled away and forced her to look up at him by raising her chin. She was giving him the sad puppy dog look, the one he could hardly resist. God, she was so cute when she pouted like that!

"Please, Ichigo. Just a little bit," she said silently and he had to look away in order to stop himself from giving in. They should really head back, both of them. He could feel it, the night was almost over and it was morning. It was really time to wake up, as much as he hated it himself.

He didn't get a chance to object though, as she rested her head on his chest again and whispered: "If it's because of my job, then let me tell you that I couldn't care less right now," with a content smile gracing her features. Ichigo raised an eyebrow and laughed at her.

"Did I hear that right? My workaholic Kuchiki Rukia doesn't care about orders and work? That's new," he taunted her, but she quickly shut him up with a playful, yet strong hit to his stomach. It didn't faze him much. He was glad that she was back to her former self. Glad that she was the Rukia he knew again.

"Oh, shut up, carrot-top," she answered him, but her voice was a dead giveaway that she wasn't really mad. Then, to Ichigo's greatest surprise, she grabbed the collar of his kimono and pulled him down, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss. Her eyes were closed and Ichigo's soon did the same thing as his hand traveled to the back of her head, supporting it as his tongue asked her for entry. God, how he missed this. How he wanted to do this again with her… and here she was starting it herself!

He didn't wait long for her to allow him to enter her mouth and he didn't hesitate to slide inside and explore every inch of it before guiding her tongue into a calm waltz. The kiss wasn't a fierce one, but it wasn't any less passionate. It was calm and loving. And yet, it still made them gasp for breath after a few seconds as they broke apart.

"You have no idea how I missed you… missed being able to speak to you and be heard, midget," he said as his arm traveled to the side of her face and their eyes locked. Rukia smiled at him.

"I missed you too, Ichigo," she whispered back before she leaned in again. That was all the invitation Ichigo needed as he closed the space between them again. This kiss was fiercer though and left them both craving for more. The orange haired boy soon found himself exploring more than just Rukia's mouth, but the raven haired girl didn't stop him as he planted butterfly kisses over her neck and what little was revealed of her shoulders without taking her shihakusho off her.

Rukia sighed in content as he explored what little was revealed to him, but she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted more. But as she slowly started to push her kimono of her, despite the belt that still kept it in place at her waist, Ichigo suddenly stopped, making her whine quietly to herself. She was enjoying his caresses!

"Are you sure you want it?" he asked her. Even after they confessed to each other, they didn't get much of a chance to do it before, first because of her injuries, then because of his 'death'. This would mark their first time… and since they were inside her soul, it would be much more intimate than if they had done it before.

Rukia shot him a questioning look before she understood why he would ask such a question.

"Oh, that's right…" she said quietly as the memories rushed into her head, just as they did in Ichigo's.

_Flashback_

_The orange haired Deputy Shinigami slowly got up from his kneeling position, just as Hanataro arrived in order to heal him. His High-Speed Regeneration already did the deed, though. Sure, Ichigo's legs still shook slightly under him from exhaustion, but at least he was not going to bleed to death._

_Suddenly, he noticed a Garganta close and a few of his friends cry out curses. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Gin had decided to flee once his superior was taken care of._

"_Well, what did you expect? The coward is afraid of dying like a weakling. It was to be expected that he'd run as fast as his legs could carry him once his dear captain was dead," he heard Kenpachi spit with disgust. "But thanks to that, there's no more fun and I'm not satisfied yet… hmmm…" suddenly his eyes glowed as he turned around and looked up to the worn out Substitute._

"_Hey Ichigo, come on, draw your sword! I was waiting forever to get a rematch!" he called and amber eyes widened as the captain of the eleventh squad charged at him. As always, Kenpachi was not joking._

_Reflexively, Ichigo grabbed his sword and blocked Zaraki's attack in the last second. However, he quickly realized that even though his wounds were healed thanks to his Hollow powers, he was in no condition to fight anyone, much less a blood thirsty Kenpachi. The fact that Zangetsu was shaking in his grip was proof enough for the 'Strawberry'._

_Quickly using shunpō, Ichigo got out of range of Zaraki's attacks before replying to the invitation._

"_Sorry, but I don't think fighting me would give you any fun right now. When I recover some of my strength, then I'll kick your ass," the youngest of the Vizards said with a smirk and Kenpachi smirked back. Just by looking at him, Ichigo could tell that the captain was looking forward to this fight._

"_He certainly didn't waste any time challenging you, did he?" Ichigo heard to his right and turned to see Kensei. The man was pretty beat up himself, but Ichigo could tell that luckily, it was nothing life threatening._

"_He's always like that. He just loves to battle. And I'm the unfortunate soul he sees a great rival in. He had asked me for a second duel at least a hundred times already, no matter the situation," the orange haired boy replied tiredly, before answering Kensei's questioning glance and explaining when the first duel had been. But suddenly, something caught Ichigo's eye._

"_Hey, Kensei," he said to get the older soul's attention. When the Vizard looked back at him, he dared to ask. "Where's Mashiro?"_

_The former captain of squad nine looked away and for some reason, Ichigo regretted asking. He also feared what the answer might be and unfortunately, he wasn't wrong._

"_She's dead," Kensei said with an unnaturally soft voice. Ichigo didn't have to ask him why. Even though he was often irked and annoyed by his former lieutenant, the orange haired boy knew that he was fond of her. "She was injured and blacked out. Later she got caught in the crossfire when I took on the Arrancar that defeated her."_

_Ichigo didn't ask any further question. Just looking at Kensei was enough to know that the older man did not want to talk about it. And that aside, something else, that was far more important to Ichigo, caught the Substitute Shinigami's attention._

"_Rukia!" he called when he saw her on the ground in a small pool of blood. Instantly forgetting his own exhaustion, he quickly shunpō-ed to her side and lifted her body in his arms._

"_Rukia?" he asked as he looked down at her peaceful face. She was pale, but the orange haired boy didn't lose hope. She wasn't cold and he could definitely see her chest rise and fall, even if the movement was very irregular and her breaths were often cut short. She couldn't be dead. And as if to make sure he didn't get the wrong idea, her violet orbs opened ever so slightly._

_The first sight that greeted her when she finally opened her eyes after falling to the ground struck by Ichimaru's blade, were familiar, amber eyes filled with concern. Upon closer inspection, she could also feel his hands around her. He was holding her._

"_Ichigo…" she whispered, ignoring the pain it caused her thanks to her broken ribs. He silenced her with a finger on her lips, an intimate gesture for him. Her eyes wanted to widen, but ended up almost closing instead. Rukia wouldn't allow them though. There was something she wanted to tell him. Something she had to tell him, for she had kept it to herself for long enough._

"_Don't talk now. Inoue will be here any second. It's all ring now, Rukia. It's over," she heard him say and smiled weakly before the gravity of her wounds took her back into the world of darkness._

_XxX_

_When she awoke again, the first thing she saw was a rather unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn't the ceiling of Ichigo's closet, or the one of his room. She wasn't in her room in the Kuchiki Manor or the one in squad thirteenth's barracks either. So where was this?_

_The raven haired Shinigami slowly sat up on her bed, causing the white sheets covering her to fall to the ground. She didn't have to look around a lot to understand where she was: it was the squad four's barracks, the hospital._

"_Glad to see you're finally awake," she heard a familiar voice to her left. Turning her head to look, she noticed a familiar carrot-top sitting on a chair right next to her bed. Violet orbs widened as the small thought that he had been sitting there and waiting all the time for her to wake up. And as if reading her thoughts, he spoke again._

"_Sorry, but I wasn't here the whole time you were out. Captain Unohana didn't allow me to," he said averting his gaze to the side. '_That doesn't mean I didn't want to,_' he added mentally._

"_How long was I out?" Rukia asked suddenly. Judging from the dark rings under Ichigo's eyes, being unable to sit by her side all the time didn't mean that he got a lot of rest during that time. And it didn't look like it was just a few nights either._

"_Around a week and a half," he said finally. Violet orbs stared openly at him. She slept that long? No, that was impossible. Her wounds weren't that grave. Of that she was sure. Ichigo must have realized what her gaze meant for he sighed heavily._

"_No, your wounds weren't grave at all," he said sarcastically. "You only had five or six broken ribs, - aside from all the other bones, important or not, that were either broken or at least misplaced - at least one of which pierced one of your lungs. You also bled internally a lot and quite the amount of blood entered your other lung, almost making you drown on your own supposed-to-be-life-giving liquid. Not to mention that your abdomen was pierced by Shinzō, making a really unimportant gash in your stomach and allowing all the acid into places it should never get to. Of course, that was nothing at all. I really can't understand how you could have passed out from something as trivial as this."_

_Rukia didn't miss the fact, that aside from being sarcastic, annoyed, mad and worried, Ichigo was mostly upset. But something told her that it wasn't because of him blaming himself for what happened to her. She had a feeling it was something else. Still, deciding that she was probably wrong, she scolded him._

"_Wipe that pathetic look off your face, Strawberry. I'm fine now aren't I? And how often do I have to tell you that my injuries are my own problem? Quit blaming yourself for what's not your fault. I just should have been more careful is all," she almost yelled at him. When he still didn't look up, she was about to continue her tirade, just to make sure he'd finally understand. Only that he beat her to it._

"_That's not the point!" He almost yelled as well. Again, she failed to understand what was really bugging him. He didn't blame her though. The fact that he could read her pretty good didn't have to mean that she could read him just as well. He wished it were the case though._

"_That's not the point…" he repeated, quieter this time as Rukia stayed silent. Ichigo clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. Just before he fought Aizen, he had sworn to himself that once it was all over, he would tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her the truth. But when it came down to it… he just couldn't find the courage to do it. Somehow, it felt like fighting a horde of Hollows and Aizen himself required less bravery than telling Rukia the truth about his feelings. But he had to do it. He swore to himself that he would do it and he _will_ do it. The orange haired boy slowly prepared himself to speak and tell the raven haired girl in front of him everything._

"_Rukia, I…" _

"_Kurosaki-san, you should let Kuchiki-san rest now," he heard the kind voice of Captain Unohana behind him and cursed under his breath. Damn, he was so close. "Would you please leave Kuchiki-san alone? She needs to rest," the kind captain continued, but Ichigo decided to take his chance. He felt that if he didn't say it now, he would never manage to say it. It was now or never. He just had to convince Retsu to let him stay just five more minutes._

_While he was trying to kindly win the head healer over saying that he had something really important to tell Rukia, said raven haired girl was having a slight and discrete panic attack of her own. Somehow, right at this moment, Ichigo's pale and seemingly dead face with the eyes that looked her way but didn't seem to see even the sky behind her, let alone _her_, reappeared before her mind's eye. In that moment, when he was falling, she felt fear grip her heart. Fear like she hadn't known before. She was scared then as he fell to his death and she failed to catch him. She was scared that she would lose him without ever having told him how she felt. God only knew how relieved she felt when he somehow regained his footing and then passed her in a blur as he continued to fight. She didn't really know what happened to him then but she knew that something had changed. But as long as he was alive, she didn't care. She was just relieved he didn't die. And in that moment, as she helped their friends fight Ichimaru Gin so that his damned sword wouldn't interfere in his fight, she swore to herself that if they both made it out alive, then she would tell him how she felt._

_She swore to herself, and she will do it. She had her chance now. And somehow she felt that if she didn't do it now, she would never do._

"_Kurosaki-san," the captain of squad four interrupted Ichigo mid-sentence and brought Rukia out of her thoughts. "Would you please leave Kuchiki-san alone? She needs to rest," the kind woman repeated, her smile never leaving her face. But there was something about her aura that sent shivers down the orange haired boy's spine and he sweat dropped, remembering exactly why no one ever dared to say no to the kindhearted captain._

"_Uh… Sure… Of course…" he stuttered, still somewhat scared of her. He didn't know how she did it, but somehow he knew that the black haired healer could scare anyone into doing what she asked without ever letting her smile leave her face. But as the youngest of the Vizards was about to leave, a hand gripped his sleeve, preventing him from doing it._

"_Please, Captain Unohana, just a few more minutes," Rukia pleaded behind him and his eyes widened slightly. Rukia _never_ pleaded for anything. "It can't wait. It's really important," the violet eyed Shinigami continued, but stopped short when she noticed captain Unohana's smile leave her features. That was never a good sign._

_As for the captain of squad four, she only sighed. She'd have to be blind not to notice what this 'important thing' the both of them wanted to talk about was. It was more than obvious. Also, the black haired woman knew better than to just throw the stubborn Deputy Soul Reaper out. She knew the orange head would only do the same thing he did the last week and a half: either try to sneak back in when she wasn't around, or accept his fate of not being allowed to enter, but still not leaving Rukia's door, like a guard dog. Very few things (or people) could pry him away, and even less things could _keep_ him away. Unohana learned that the hard way. Even after someone somehow managed to drag the amber-eyed boy away and even tie him to his bed and lock him in his room, by the time said someone was back at Rukia's door, the 'guard dog' was already back there as well. Retsu was really surprised at how persistent he was, but then again, she knew she shouldn't expect anything else._

_Seeing that she wouldn't get any better results from the Substitute than she got the previous times she tried, the black haired woman only sighed in defeat. This was the first time she would let someone else have their way… but there was a first for all things, right?_

"_Five minutes, and not a second longer,'' she replied in a calm voice before leaving them alone. Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. She actually listened to them. That was a surprise, he admitted that much. Sighing, he turned around to the raven haired, injured girl. It was now or never. He took a deep, calming breath before speaking…_

"_There's something I need to tell you," Rukia interrupted him as she sat comfortably on her bed. Ichigo felt like hitting himself. Not allowed again! It was so frustrating._

"_What is it, Rukia?" he asked, sitting down in his chair and seeking her eyes with his own. But her gaze was on her lap and she wasn't about to let her eyes wander anywhere else. This time it was her who took a deep calming breath. It was now or never…_

"_You said that you blaming yourself for what happened to me was not why you were sulking. You said that was not the point. What was it then?" she blurted out and immediately felt like hitting her head against the wall. That wasn't what she was supposed to say. Not at all. Damn it, she let another chance slip by! She was such an idiot._

"_You're right, I wasn't sulking because I was blaming myself," Ichigo's quiet voice brought her attention to him. The orange haired Deputy Death God wasn't looking at her and let his eyes fall to the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the whole world. Inside, he was trying to calm himself down and thought of how to phrase his answer, so that he could use his chance to say what he wanted to say at the same time._

"_At least, that's not the only reason," he continued, his voice merely a whisper. Rukia had a hard time hearing him, but didn't ask him to speak up. "I know that I couldn't have done anything to prevent it because I was fighting someone else at the time. And I know you're strong enough to take care of yourself. It's just that… I can't stand to see you hurt," his fists were clenching and unclenching themselves repeatedly: a clear sign that he was truly upset. His expression was for once unreadable to her too. She was unable to tell what was going through his mind, other than the feelings of having failed her somehow. She would have scolded him again for being so pathetic, had she not felt touched to hear him say that. Could it be that he was feeling something for her? That he cared more than he dared to show? Rukia's thoughts were interrupted as he continued speaking._

"_When you passed out in my arms then… when I understood just in what sort of condition you've been in… When captain Unohana confirmed that she was not able to say for certain if you would still make it or not… I felt like my world was going to fall apart. I knew that I couldn't lose you… that I didn't want to lose you and would do anything to prevent it. But at the same time I knew I could do nothing but wait and believe you would make it. Seeing you like that and knowing I could do absolutely nothing… not even one thing to help… it hurt me more than anything ever did._

"_I might sound weird to you now. I probably do anyway. But I want you to know Rukia… I want you to know that I've just been worried about you. Worried and scared… because you mean a lot to me. Actually, you mean everything to me," his voice was barely hearable now, even quieter than a whisper. He held her hands in his and finally raised his head to look at her._

_Rukia's head was spinning when his words echoed in her mind. 'You mean everything to me' he had said. Did he really mean it? Could it be that he felt the same way about her? Rukia couldn't believe how lucky she was… and yet a part of her was telling her that it couldn't be true. She was probably just dreaming, like many times before. It was too good to be true…_

_Meanwhile, while Rukia was lost in her thoughts, arguing and calculating all pro's and con's, Ichigo had a hard time to force himself to phrase the one last sentence that was missing in his extremely cheesy and cliché little speech._

"_What I mean to say is that I… I… I think I might be… in l-love… with you," he stuttered. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before correcting himself. "No, I don't think it. I know it. I love you, Rukia," he said calmly as he looked her square in the face and awaited her answer._

_The raven haired Shinigami just stared at him without saying anything while her insides were jumping in joy. He really just said it. He really loved her back! Gulping slightly, Rukia gave his hands a squeeze to bring his attention back to her. She was sure her cheeks were as red as tomatoes, but she didn't really care. Right now, she was in euphoria that nothing could crush._

"_I… I love you too… Ichigo," she stuttered, still unable to believe that he had just said what she wanted to hear from him for quite a while now. His amber eyes lit up when she told him her feelings were the same as his. And then he leaned in and captured her lips in a soft kiss. He held himself back though, and didn't even answer her silent question when she asked him to let her enter. He pulled away instead and almost laughed at her childish pout._

"_Kuchiki Rukia… would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked, kneeling next to her bed. If it was possible, she reddened even more before letting a small giggle escape her lips._

"_I'd be delighted to," she answered in a small smile as she leaned in again, trying to capture his lips. Sensing what she wanted, he leaned in as well. But their lips never touched as captain Unohana chose that exact moment to enter the room._

_She didn't even have to say anything. The pair just felt her when she entered. Ichigo sighed as he stood up, giving her hand one last squeeze before letting go._

"_See you tomorrow, midget," he said as he walked towards the door. She nodded in response and smirked._

"_Get some sleep. It will do you good, Strawberry," she bit back as the door fell into the lock behind him. But she couldn't deny the fact that the second he left, she started to miss his presence and wanted it to be the next day already. She only wished captain Unohana would just let him stay here all the time, or let her go over to his room, but she knew the healer would never allow it._

_XxX_

_Once outside Rukia's room, Ichigo found himself face to face with a glaring Byakuya. The captain of the sixth division was strong enough to be walking around and about, but he still had a few injuries to heal from. Ichigo still gulped when he noticed his icy glare. Only an idiot wouldn't understand that Rukia's brother heard at least a part of the conversation he just had with the raven haired girl._

"_Let me tell you one thing, Kurosaki," Byakuya's voice was hard and menacing, but if Ichigo was a little bit scared, he didn't show it. "If you ever hurt Rukia, I will personally tend to making you die a very slow and very painful death."_

_That threat was no joke and Ichigo knew that. But he wasn't about to let a stuck-up noble and surprisingly protective brother like Byakuya ruin his mood._

"_Don't worry about it. I'd rather kill myself than hurt Rukia in any way," he replied seriously. Byakuya only nodded in response and the orange haired boy left for his own room, finally finding some well-deserved sleep._

_Three weeks later, Rukia saw him in Rukongai and he was sent to Hueco Mundo before he could explain anything to her. And three days after that, he died._

_End of Flashback_

"We never did that before, did we…" it wasn't a question; it was a statement of the obvious. Ichigo looked into her violet orbs, once again losing himself in their depths.

"That's why I'm asking. Are you really sure about this, Rukia?" he asked her and she nodded her head. She was sure. More sure than she'd ever be. She wanted him to do it, and she wanted him to do it now.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said firmly. Ichigo only smiled at her. That was all the encouragement that he needed, as he once again captured her lips with his, while his hands worked with her belt. She melted into his kiss, as bliss overcame her and she whimpered quietly when he pulled away. But her sadness was short lived as his mouth started to explore her neck and shoulders, quickly finding their way to her collarbone, while his hands removed her belt and started to slowly pull off her kimono.

She didn't even notice when they were both lying on the snowy ground. All that mattered to her was Ichigo. _Her_ Ichigo. Hers, and hers only. Her pale hands massaged his scalp as his mouth worked around her upper body in a teasing manner, while his hands slipped under her kimono at the height of her waist, but refused to pull it off completely. Up until now, he only revealed her shoulders, and she was quick to realize that he was going to take things painfully slow.

"Ichigo…" she whined softly as his hand traveled up her body but made a large curve around her breasts, missing them completely. Instead, he let them travel along her arms as he slowly let the kimono fall off her hands. His mouth stopped its exploration of her shoulders and collarbone as he watched at what little he allowed himself to reveal of her body. That was a mistake though, as it threw his plans to make it as slow and as teasing as possible out the window and his hands worked their wonders with her shihakusho, revealing her body all the way down to her waist. The only thing blocking his view of her most feminine area in that place was her bra.

Stopping himself from tearing it away immediately, Ichigo allowed his hands and mouth to tease her again as he planted wet kisses all over her smooth skin, still avoiding her breasts. He could almost imagine her pouting at him, but she didn't say a thing, too preoccupied by taking pleasure from his small caresses. And he wasn't even getting started!

Rising ever so slightly, he pushed himself back up so that he was at the height of her face. He couldn't hold back his smirk when he saw the way she was pouting at him. 'Stop teasing' her eyes seemed to say and he only chuckled inwardly at her impatience. He wasn't even beginning to tease her and she already wanted more.

"Don't worry midget. We'll take it nice and slow," he said quietly. She was about to reply, but he shut her up with a soft kiss while his hands removed the last nuisance for his eyes to marvel at her beautiful body, all the way down to her waist. When he rose again to take a look, Rukia felt a little nervous. What if he didn't like what he was seeing? She was pretty flat-chested after all, and she knew for a fact that boys his age preferred girls who had a bit more to offer. So what if…

"Just as beautiful as I expected you to be… if not even more than that," he whispered as he leaned down and continued his treatment where he left off. Rukia moaned to herself when she felt his tongue and hands on her breasts. She couldn't believe it was his first time. If she hadn't known any better, she could have sworn he was a pro! The way his tongue explored her body and the way his fingers circled around her nipples made her shiver with pleasure and crave for more. She gasped slightly when he bit down, but his tongue quickly healed the short lived pain. It was so pleasurable, that Rukia wanted him to repeat it. And repeat it he did.

As he felt her body heat increase from just his soft touch and small caresses, he smiled into her breast. He could feel his own erection tighten against his pants as he kept teasing her, but he ignored it. He didn't want to take things too quickly. He wanted to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Unfortunately, his hands had a different opinion on that matter as they left Rukia's breasts and traveled down to her waist, pulling her kimono further apart. Soon enough, there was nothing more stopping him except her panties. One good thing about the shihakusho was that it was easy to remove.

Ichigo let a sigh of content escape his mouth as he started to explore her legs and slowly made his way back upwards, towards her waist. When he arrived at the right height, he slowly let his hands travel along her belly, enjoying every shiver he felt from her and the whimper that she escaped her mouth.

Suddenly, she pulled him closer and he pulled himself to the height of her face again, giving her a questioning look. Her cheeks were flushed and her violet orbs were laughing when she smiled at him. Before he knew it, small hands were praying his own kimono away. He chuckled when she pulled the irritating cloth apart, only to stop dead in her tracks.

"Like what you see, midget?" he asked teasingly and she blushed even more. However, he couldn't fail to notice the sadness that was suddenly visible in her eyes. "Rukia?" he asked uncertainly.

The raven haired girl didn't answer as she forced him to get rid of his kimono, revealing his chest to her in all its glory. The sad look didn't leave her eyes as she let her hands travel alongside his skin. Ichigo's eyes softened. She was tracing down one of the many scars that were the sign of the wounds he received during the war. While he was regenerating just fine, all that High-Speed Regeneration could do was accelerate the healing rate. Sometimes enough to save his life, even, and sometimes to the point of recreating a lost limb. But it didn't change the fact that some wounds would leave traces forever.

He gently placed his larger hand over her smaller one and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She looked up at him and he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead as his other hand caressed her cheek. She smiled back weakly before retracing his scars once more. Then, she removed his kimono entirely. He smirked at her eagerness, but stopped her from removing his boxers. 'Not yet' his eyes told her, and for once he was able to say no to her adorable pout.

XxX

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and regarded the raven haired beauty in front of him. She was still smiling in her sleep and he felt somehow proud that he was able to give her an amount of pleasure with a first attempt.

As he brought his lips to her eyelids, her eyes fluttered open and her smile widened. Her eyes told him just how much she enjoyed their session, even if he did tease her a lot in the beginning. Her smile now told him that she didn't want to have it any other way anyway. The orange haired boy sighed as he sat up.

"You really need to be going now," he said. '_And me too._' The raven haired girl averted her eyes, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. He shot her a confused and worried glance. "Rukia?"

"We will meet again, right?" she suddenly asked him and Ichigo's eyes widened. They had been over that topic already, haven't they? "I mean… I will meet you when I come next time, right?"

The orange haired boy sighed. He had feared she might ask that, so he prepared a convenient answer, but he had still hoped she wouldn't ask. Fate apparently really hated him, though, and she did.

"You might not always see me like you do now," he said as he lifted her chin to make her look into his eyes. "But I'm always right here with you and I will never leave you. I promise you that we will meet again like this. We definitely will. It might not be the next time you come to see me, I might not always be able to answer your call… but we will meet again. We won't be separated, because I'm always with you. You'll never be alone, Rukia," he said. And he meant it. Not as long as he was alive at least. As long as he lived, he would watch over her. He wouldn't leave her all on her own. He would always be with her.

"Thank you, Ichigo," she replied as she smiled at him. She slowly started to get transparent, which was a sure sign of her leaving her Inner World and waking up in the real one. "I love you."

And just like that, she vanished. Ichigo clenched his fists as he slowly stood up.

"Yeah… I love you too, Rukia. More than you can imagine," he spoke to no one in particular, hoping she heard him, before he sighed once more and made his way back to the river and the frozen lake.

But at least Rukia would be better now. He hoped she would. He was sure she would. He just _knew_ she would.

Besides, he promised her they'd meet again like this, and he always keeps his promises. So meet again they will. Ichigo would see to that.

But for now, it was time to return to his own head through the Connection Point. The orange haired hybrid only hoped that the ice that froze 'his' lake would somehow let him through.

* * *

**Whooo, all done. I'm quite satisfied with it actually. But I'm curious to know what you think of it, so please press the button below and review, ok? You'll make me very happy if you do ;)**


	10. Calm Before the Stom

**Hey guys. I know, it's been a while since I last updated and I'm really sorry about that, but life was busy and my muse went on vacation for a while too. Hope you can forgive me though and that you didn't forget this story. To make up for the long wait, there's a small bonus at the very end, after the 'ending A/N'. If there's ever any bonus like that again, it will always be after the second A/N, just so you know in advance.**

**By the way, I noticed that this fic has now officially broken the 120 reviews boundary. I admit, for a story this short (chapter wise), that's my record. So, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! You are the best, really! Love you all!**

**IMPORTANT (I know this A/N is getting long, but you should know by now that I'm rather talkative): I noticed only now that for some odd reason, fanfiction decides to cut out the dividers I put in the text when I switch places or perspectives. Sorry, I know it makes it harder to read, but I'm too lazy to try and put them back in place, especially since I tried before and it never worked. But hope it won't take away your pleasure from reading.**

**Warning: I DID NOT PROOFREAD, so sorry for any typos that might come up. Also, since it's not the first time I'm giving a warning like that, I was wondering if I shouldn't get myself a beta, since I know it can be annoying to read something with typos and mistakes in it. So, any volunteers? Thanks in advance :]**

**OK, I stop my babbling here. Please enjoy and please review once you're done XD**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWER:**

_**Siamra**_**: I'm glad you like the story so far and thanks for the review. But I don't quite agree on what you said about Rukia, for I believe that first, Rukia loves being a Soul Reaper to do that, even for Ichigo, and second, Ichigo wouldn't let her LOL But it is an interesting theory :3**

_**Standard Disclaimer and Readers Key required**_

_**Special thanks to StrawberryFlutterBy for edits.**_

_Chapter 10 – Calm before the Storm_

When Rukia opened her eyes after her first restful night in a long time and stared at the plain ceiling of her room in Urahara's shop. For the first time since Ichigo's death, she was smiling. And it was not a fake smile like the ones she showed to others. This time, it was a true smile, showing Rukia's great mood perfectly. Truth be told, she hadn't felt this good in ages. She felt as if nothing could bring her down. Nothing. Not even the thought of another day of fruitless looking for her and Renji's target.

The raven haired girl smiled contently and laid one of her hands above her heart, feeling its steady rhythm, as she remembered her half-dream. It wasn't anywhere near a dream actually, and knowing that made her feel even better.

"_I won't leave, Rukia. I left my heart with you. I'm always with you, even if you don't always see or hear me. Sometimes I might seem far away, but I'm always here. You won't get rid of me that easily you know._"

His words echoed in her head and she couldn't help but let her smile soften into a sad one as her hands closed into tight fists. She couldn't see or hear him now, just as he had said… but somehow, she could feel that part of him was somewhere there, somewhere inside of her.

'_Ichigo… can you hear me now, I wonder. Can you hear every single one of my thoughts?_' she asked herself, but just as she expected, she didn't get an answer. This didn't make her sad though. She knew he was there somewhere and that someday, they'd meet again. And that was enough for her.

"Oi, Rukia, are you going to get up any time soon or what? It's midday already you sleepy head!" she heard Renji's voice from outside her room. Her eyes widened as she quickly got up from her futon and put on a light yellow sundress. In a rush, she opened the tatami door and stopped in her tracks, just barely avoiding a crash with Renji who had yet to leave the entrance.

"Midday? Why didn't you wake me up sooner, Renji?" she yelled at him as she forced her way out of the room and out into the 'reception room', where the way to the underground training area was wide open and just asking to have someone kicked inside. Rukia ignored the urge though and waited for her red haired friend and partner to answer.

Renji was staring at her with wide eyes before shaking his head and grinning goofily.

"Well, someone seems to be in a good mood today," he said, completely ignoring her question. Rukia glared at him, but let it slip. It wasn't like it was a total catastrophe that she slept a bit longer, as long as Karakura Town wasn't completely destroyed by Hollows by the time she woke up. And since it didn't seem to be the case and since she knew exactly just what kind of 'dream' made her sleep so long, she definitely wasn't going to complain.

"Anyway, we should probably head out soon," Renji brought her out of her thoughts as he spoke again. "Who knows… we might get lucky and find him today. I doubt we'll bump into him if we stay here all day, though."

Rukia nodded in agreement before an idea popped into her head. She might be on a mission right now, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself a little bit while in Karakura. She always allowed herself to have a little bit of fun before. Why make it different this time?

"Let's go in our gigai," she said suddenly. Renji stopped dead in his tracks as if he was struck by thunder and just stood there, staring.

"Wh-What did you just say?" he asked, thinking he might have heard wrong. Rukia Kuchiki, Vice-captain of the thirteenth squad, the girl who was always putting work as her first and foremost duty… was suggesting to take it easy and go as far as stay in their gigai, even if it meant they'd cover much less ground on their search?

"Let's go in our gigai, without changing into our Shinigami form unless we have to," Rukia repeated calmly with a small smile on her face. How long has it been since she took a walk around town without the rush of wind that followed her every flash-step?

"Who are you and what have you done with Vice-captain Kuchiki?" Renji asked her suddenly. Rukia shot him a half-hearted glare.

"Come on; don't tell me you want to keep going like we did up until now. We didn't come up with anything when we actually looked for him, but have you noticed that he always shows up when we _aren't_ looking for him?" she asked him. Renji had to admit that Rukia had a point there. Besides, he was never the type to always be hundred percent focused on the mission, unless it was extremely necessary or unless his captain was supervising him.

"Plus, you've never seen much of Karakura outside missions, right? I can show you around and take it a bit easy today. I mean, I know the town really well. I would after living with Ichigo for so long."

It was then that Renji noticed that something inside Rukia had actually changed. For the past year, she had never spoken of Ichigo unless asked directly about him. Even the redhead noticed that even though she refused to show it, Rukia had not been completely over his death. If Renji had known how to make her feel better and help her move on, he would have. But since he never knew what to say to her, he never spoke of it. And just like that, after one night, she seemed completely fine. Renj had no idea what had happened, but he sure was glad that Rukia was back to normal again.

"Well… OK, why not," he said, a little reluctantly. Rukia saw through it and punched him playfully (but still rather hard) on the shoulder. He snickered at her and she shot him another glare before they went off to eat and then out into Karakura to 'patrol'.

As for Ichigo, he had taken a while longer to wake up, since he stayed in his Inner World for a couple of minutes longer.

"My guess is you made it in time," Zangetsu said calmly when he emerged from the window of the Connection Point. Ichigo grinned at him. It was a halfhearted grin but he still tried. The Zanpakutō must have noticed it too, especially due to the heavy rainclouds hovering over the town, but did not push the issue. Both him and Shirosaki understood where these clouds came from but knew better than to persuade Ichigo to change his ways. Even in their point of view, the orange haired teen was doing the right thing, so there was no point in trying.

"That's good. I'd hate to have to put up with endless rain over here should the Queen ever die. I mean, he would drown us if that ever happened," Tsuchiro added with a grin of his own. The amber-eyed ex-Shinigami scowled at his white counterpart before punching him (albeit more in a friendly manner than anything else) on the shoulder.

"Just shut up why don't you," he replied seriously. Like he would ever, _ever_ let Rukia die. As long as there was anything he could do to prevent it, she would never die. Over his dead body.

"As if it weren't true! You know just as damn well as I do that if just lying to her makes this place as much of a mess as this," he pointed with his hand, showing the whole scenery. The usually blue buildings were now a few shades darker thanks to the dim light, as the sun was hidden behind the dark rainclouds, which were pitch black with lightning flash here and there. If the storm ever broke out, Ichigo was quite sure that it would do quite the damage to his Inner World. But for now, it didn't rain just yet, nor did it really look like it was going to start, so he wasn't overly worried. Still, the town would be better off without the possible storm (and the thought of two parts of his soul being more drenched than they ever were because of it) hovering over it.

"If just lying to her makes this place such a mess," Tsuchiro repeated looking back at Ichigo with a glare. "Then I don't want to see the storm that will break out if she ever does die," he finished in a grave tone.

"I will not let her die," Ichigo replied fiercely, feeling anger building up inside him. A loud roar of thunder was heard, as if to emphasize his words. Black-golden eyes narrowed at him as Tsuchiro smirked and the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid felt like the old Shirosaki, the one who completely hated, despised and looked down on him was back once again. The smirk was definitely the kind of sadistic type only his Inner Hollow could muster.

"And how do you want to protect her if you don't know what to protect her _from_, King?" he asked in a mocking tone. Ichigo clenched his fists as he searched for an answer. How do you protect someone if you do not know what it is that's endangering them? He never had this problem before, and now that he thought about it, he hadn't realized that he actually had it now. After all, the Tough Masks couldn't all be after her just because they liked the smell of her spiritual pressure or something. There had to be more to it, but he had yet to figure out what it was.

"What is your answer, Ichigo?" Zangetsu joined the conversation and Ichigo's eyes widened slightly when he realized that, for the first time since he could remember, Zangetsu clearly took his other self's side, when usually he never participated in their quarrels at all.

That's when the Primera Espada understood. He wasn't being taunted or mocked by his Hollow. He wasn't being looked down upon on like he first thought. Both Shirosaki and Zangetsu were merely testing him. Seeing how determined he was. How far he would go to actually keep his word and how far ahead he planned it, so that he wouldn't be as unprepared as he was when he went to save Orihime in Hueco Mundo where he had almost gotten killed on several occasions.

They were testing if he had learned anything from the Winter War, so that he wouldn't repeat his mistake from the time when he tried to save Rukia. So that he wouldn't just focus on what was the most obvious and tried to figure out the real threat. It was a test to make sure he wouldn't charge in without thinking and once again end up helping the enemy, like he did when his intrusion into Soul Society helped Aizen Sosuke get his hands on the Hogyoku with far less difficulty than he could have, had the Captains not been distracted by the 'ryoka'.

"If I don't know what the danger is," he said calmly as his temper cooled down with the realization. The two parts of his soul were right. He couldn't just charge in without a plan. He had to think before acting. "All I have to do is figure it out. It might not be obvious, nor easy, but I will figure it out. And once I do, I'll destroy it. That's how I'll protect Rukia from something unknown. I'll just find out what this 'unknown threat' is and make it known."

Zangetsu nodded in approval with a small smile on his face, as if saying 'well done, Ichigo'. Tsuchiro on the other hand just clicked his tongue, his smirk not leaving his face.

"Guess you aren't as stupid as you were before, King," he said simply and Ichigo felt a vein pop up on his forehead.

"If someone here was ever stupid it was you. I wasn't the one who challenged someone to a fight while knowing they couldn't win," he shot back, referring to his and Tsuchiro's very first fight for dominance over his body. Shirosaki's smirk disappeared from his face, replaced by a very Ichigo-like scowl.

"You won then just because you were lucky, King. Same for the time when you came back. But if we were to fight again, I would beat the crap outta you before you could say the name of your loved one," he spat, his eyes blazing with anger. Ichigo showed him a frown of his own as his hand slowly rose to the hilt of his sword.

"Wanna find out if that's really true?" he growled as his palm closed around it. Tsuchiro did the same thing, reaching for his sword.

"Why not. I'm looking forward to beating you into the ground," he chuckled. Both of them seemed to not notice the clouds clearing and a soft breeze picking up, proving Ichigo's sheer amusement with his Hollows cockiness.

"We'll see who's going to beat whom into the ground," he replied as the bandage fell off of his blade at the same time as Tsuchiro's. The 'normal' and the 'white' Ichigo were about to charge at one another when Zangetsu stepped between them, facing Ichigo.

"Stop it, both of you. Now is not the time for you to fight one another," he lectured in a calm tone. Shirosaki snickered behind him.

"Every time is good for a fight Zangetsu. But go on, protect that little idiot. I'll destroy him another time," was his answer to the Zanpakutō as the Hollow shouldered his sword, turned around and walked away. A cocky smirk being the last thing Ichigo saw before he left.

"Teme…" Ichigo growled quietly to himself as he sheathed his sword once more. Zangetsu laid a calming hand on his shoulder and had a soft smile on his old features.

"Does his behavior remind you of someone, Ichigo?" he asked calmly as they both looked at Tsuchiro's retreating white back. The orange haired teen scoffed.

"He's acting like Renji. First he challenges me and then he backs out as soon as he has a fucking chance, getting hellishly on my nerves in the process," he answered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His frown deepened, showing just how annoyed he was. Zangetsu chuckled.

"And yet it is still enough to make you feel better. And it works every time, doesn't it?" the spirit asked, finally making Ichigo realize the change in the weather. But the orange haired Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid stayed quiet, so Zangetsu continued. "It's time for you to wake up as well, Ichigo."

"Wait. There's something I wanted to ask first," the former Death God said, looking back at the Connection Point. But his eyes didn't wander to Rukia's window, settling on a closed and sealed one instead. The seal was in the form of a sealed Zanpakutō impaled in the ground through what looked like a lieutenant's badge. Just above its hilt hung a captain's haori.

"These seals that are on some of the Connections… What do they mean?" he asked. "If they mean anything at all, but I figured they would, since they can be so different from each other," he added as his eyes wandered to another sealed window. This time, the seal was in the form of the upper part of a Hollow mask (seemingly just enough to cover the forehead) that seemed somewhat familiar to the orange head. It was completely white and there was a single horn in the middle of it. The weirdest thing about the seal was the sandal that hung from the horn of the mask.

"The seals are merely meant to close off some of the Connections," Zangetsu answered calmly. "There's no specific meaning to them," the tone of the swords voice told Ichigo that there was an unasked question hanging in the air and the hybrid knew well what his mentor was wondering. What made him think that there was a meaning?

"I just thought there might be one because they're all so different. The seal on the way here from Rukia's side for example is a black sun. I was just wondering if it meant anything. Why are some of the Connections closed anyway?"

"That would be your own fault, Ichigo," Zangetsu answered calmly. The former Substitute Shinigami glanced at him curiously and the Zanpakutō spirit took it as encouragement to continue.

"If a Connection is closed, it means that your bond with the person it was meant for has weakened for some reason, to the point where you are no longer able to meet each other like this. But if it's closed off on only one side, it means that you're trying to close yourself off from that person."

"So Rukia is trying to distance herself from me?" Ichigo asked, feeling his non-existent heart clench at the thought.

"She already did in a way, Ichigo. She thinks you're dead, whereas you're not," Zangetsu replied. Ichigo blinked. Did that mean that if she found out the truth, the seal on her side would open? Ichigo was quite sure that was the case, although he was not sure how exactly he knew it. It was just a feeling he got. A feeling he was sure was correct.

"What else can cause a Connection to close on one side? I mean, for Rukia, it's more like she's subconsciously pushing me away, because she thinks I'm dead. But could there be another reason?" he didn't really know why he asked that. Maybe he was just curious to know who the sealed windows in front of him belonged to and why exactly they were closed.

"It could also be because you do not know the possibility exists," the black haired man replied calmly.

"Like if I don't know about the Connection Point?" Ichigo asked, confusion plain on his face.

"More like when you don't know the Connection Point can take you to that persons head. As you know, the Connections are only possible between people close to each other, mostly with an Inner World or something akin to that. If you are close to someone but do not know he has an Inner World, the Connection is sealed. Which doesn't mean it is unable to open. Every seal can be broken. The reason they look different is only to make it possible for you to know whose head is sealed off from you. Although the seal is always the same for one person. For instance, no matter who it is that sealed you off, their Connection Point will always seal you off with the seal of a black sun," Zangetsu replied. Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, a thought came to him.

"What if the person dies? What happens to the Connection then?" he asked. What could possibly happen to break a Connection forever?

"The entrance is simply destroyed."

If Ichigo had been drinking anything at the moment, he would have spit it out from utter surprise. As it was, he only stared in shock at his sword's words.

"What do you mean 'destroyed'?" he asked, although he knew pretty well what it meant. The different states of the lakes of Rukia's Connection Point instantly came to mind, especially the ones that were filled with snow, as if an avalanche had destroyed the island. But even the snow would melt sooner or later, then evaporate, leaving nothing but an empty island with a hole in the ground that used to be a lake. Ichigo had seen quite a few of those over at Rukia's place and now he knew what they meant. They were for people who were already dead.

He didn't notice when his eyes started scanning his own Connection Point, searching. And he didn't have to search long. They were scattered here and there on the building. Open windows with no glass in the frames, with a dark, hollow hole gaping right back at him. The frames were mostly intact, but in a few cases they started to rot away and a few window holes were even collapsing slowly, as if trying to make it look like there never was a 'doorway' there in the first place.

Ichigo looked away, just in time to stop himself from counting the windows, which were a lot more than he expected. How many died during the war? How many never made it out of the critical room of the fourth squad? How many died when they were thought to have pulled through?

Slowly, his gaze wandered back to the sealed windows and then to the one with the Hollow mask. He couldn't help but wonder who it belonged to. It was probably one of the Vizards, but he couldn't tell which one. He dismissed Shinji right off the bat, remembering that his Hollow mask looked like one of a Pharaoh. It couldn't have been his.

It didn't look like Kensei's either. Ichigo couldn't remember exactly what Hachi's and Lisa's masks were like, but something told him this mask belonged to someone else. And why would there be a sandal hanging from the horn?

Ichigo's eyes suddenly snapped open as realization hit him. There was only one Vizard who loved to beat the crap out of him and Shinji, _especially_ with her sandals. And Ichigo would never forget her mask as she stared at him through the eye-holes when he first went to the Vizards. The mask with the horn sticking out of the forehead. There was no doubt that the mask in question belonged to Hyori.

"But how can that be?" Ichigo questioned himself aloud. It wasn't possible. Hyori was dead. The orange haired teen saw her die before his very eyes. So there shouldn't be a Connection. Her window should have been destroyed, but there it was, the seal staring right back at him, filling his brain with confusion.

Ichigo clenched his fists, thinking back to the seal on his own 'door' from Rukia's side. The raven haired girl also though that he was dead, but he wasn't. Could it be that Hyori was in a somewhat similar situation? Could it be that she somehow survived the blow Ichimaru dealt her?

The Shinigami-Hollow hybrid shook his head. That wasn't possible and he knew that. He had watched the blond (and violent) girl die right before his very eyes. He knew she couldn't have survived it. The window must have belonged to someone else he knew, but Ichigo decided to guess some other time. He sighed as he saw his Inner World spin in front of him.

"I'll be going then," he said simply before blackness engulfed him and he awoke in his room in the Vizards hideout in the warehouse. He slowly sat up and stretched, trying to make his gigai at least a little bit more comfortable. God he hated this thing.

Sighing, the ex-Shinigami got up and after cleaning himself in the bathroom and getting dressed, he exited his room, going straight to the training ground. But he didn't get there since he met Shinji and Hachi on the way.

"Finally awake I see," Shinji grinned at him and Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I can hardly be awake if I never really slept," he mumbled so softly, the two Vizards didn't hear him. Going to Rukia's Inner World and doing the things they did could hardly be considered resting, much less sleeping. He was lucky he was somewhat rested though, as if he had really slept. He didn't know how it worked, but it did and he was thankful for that.

After breakfast (made by Hachigen and _really_ good, Ichigo noted), Shinji practically dragged Ichigo to the training ground, saying something about Kensei wanting to train with him at full power without holding back. But as soon as Ichigo actually entered the basement, images of the carnage that was in Rukia's dream entered his mind at the sheer sound of metal clashing against metal. The hybrid shook his head, but it did little good.

Ichigo bit back a sigh. Considering that in the last few days he did nothing but fight, it was to be expected that his mind revolted against him sooner or later. And it decided to do so now, telling him that the last thing he needed at that moment was to hold a blade. What he really needed was a break.

Ichigo wasn't going to push himself over the edge. He knew he had to be strong so that he could protect Rukia from whatever it was that wanted her killed, but if he stressed out too much and overdid it, he'd only end up weakening himself. Ichigo opened his mouth to tell Shinji that he wasn't going to fight anyone today, but the blond ex-Captain beat him to it.

"OK, let's stop for now," Shinji called to the others who stopped their sparring. If they were about to object, the words died in their throats when they saw Hirako's gaze. It clearly said they needed to talk. Now. So they sheathed their swords and formed a circle on the ground. The three remaining Vizards joined them and Ichigo didn't fail to notice that Nel was among them too.

"So, what is this conversation about, Shinji?" Kensei asked in a tone that clearly told them that he wanted to get this over with quickly. Ichigo had a feeling it had something to do with his wish to fight him at full power, but he couldn't be sure.

"About the Hollows that started appearing recently, what else?" Shinji asked, but only silence responded him; it wasn't really as if he expected an answer either. But he did get a question.

"Why exactly do they concern you?" it was Ichigo that asked and he received questioning stares in return. Lisa looked like she was going to respond, but he beat her to it, by clarifying his question.

"I mean, they shouldn't really concern you. There are Soul Reapers to take care of them, and I help out because they're my friends, but there's no reason for you to fight them. Knowing you, you haven't really shown yourself to Soul Society since the Winter War. Why risk being found and executed now? Because I doubt you and Soul Society are on the best of terms, despite the fact that you helped them a lot."

Dead silence was the only response he got, as if the Vizards had no clue how to respond to his rather simple question. Truly, why were they training like crazy and concerning themselves about a few Hollows stronger than the average? It wasn't their problem as long as the Hollows stayed far away from one of them, so they had no reason to fight, and yet they did. Ichigo couldn't understand why they would push themselves into fights that didn't concern them at all. It was no longer their fight.

"And why did you get involved in the Winter War a year ago, Ichigo? That fight didn't concern you at all either. In fact, nothing in our world should have ever concerned you, yet you stubbornly refused to leave it be and fought alongside the Shinigami and us. Why?" Shinji asked back calmly. Ichigo didn't hesitate. He knew his answer. It wasn't like many others hadn't asked him this question before.

"Of course it concerned me. That was my hometown Aizen wanted to destroy, not to mention he wanted to kill my friends in the process. How could I possibly turn my back on that?" he asked, his gaze hard on the blond man… who to his biggest surprise was grinning one of the brightest grins Ichigo has ever seen on his face.

"Well, there you have it. There's a friend of ours… even part of our small, little, weird family, who's involved in that mini-war against these Hollows. So why should we not be involved as well? How could we possibly turn our backs on him?" the former captain of squad five asked, quoting Ichigo's very words.

The 'brown' haired teen literally gaped at the blond man and Shinji only kept grinning at him. When the silence continued, he spoke again.

"We already told you, Ichigo, you may have changed, but that doesn't mean you aren't one of us. We are still friends and we won't let you fight on your own. Whatever concerns you, concerns us too. Sorry, but we're like you in this concept," he said. The ocean-blue-eyed boy smiled slightly at the group in front of him. It felt good to know that he wasn't alone.

"Thanks, guys," he said simply, and the Vizards nodded. Then, Shinji's expression became serious again.

"Back on the topic of these Hollows… I'm sure we all noticed that their number has been increasing lately, which is why we're training so much at the moment. But does anyone of you have a clue as to _why_ they're appearing in the first place?" he asked and silence fell over the group, until Ichigo's voice cut through the silence.

"They're after Rukia," he said calmly. The Vizards' eyes all widened as they glanced at him.

"Rukia? Why is that?" Lisa asked surprised.

"I don't know, unfortunately. But I have a feeling that there's more to the problem than meets the eye," the ex-Shinigami responded. Kensei clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Why does that remind me of something," he asked no one in particular, but everyone understood what he meant. Ichigo tensed slightly.

"I understand why you say that, Kensei, but I _do_ hope that it's nothing like that," Shinji said calmly.

"What if it is?" the former captain of squad nine shot back.

"Then it's sure another big fight will be going on, and I'm quite sure we won't back away from it," Hirako responded in a grave tone. Ichigo didn't bother to try to make him change his mind and stay out of this mess, especially if it really was something as serious as the Aizen affair. Shinji had already proven to him that they had a reason to fight too… and he was glad about it.

"And what will we do about it with the knowledge we have?" Hachigen asked.

"Right now, there's not much we can do," Ichigo replied with a scowl on his face.

"Ichigo is right. We need to have more information on the situation first," Shinji agreed and locked gazes with said hybrid. Brown clashed with piercing, ocean-blue as the two started at each other for a while before reaching a silent agreement.

"I can go into town and try to find something out if I happen to meet one of these Hollows. You never know, they might spill something like the one that spilled about Rukia being their target. I need a break from the training anyway," the former Deputy Death God said suddenly and stood up. Kensei looked like he wanted to object, but thought better of it when he saw Ichigo's expression.

It was almost unreadable, except for his eyes. The eyes that showed worry for his friends and the need to find out the truth… And to do so on his own.

"Let us know if you find something out," was all Shinji answered and Ichigo nodded before leaving, with Nel hanging off his shoulder again, leaving the Vizard to wonder just when the Hell she had gotten there.

Renji couldn't help but smile a little as he walked through the streets of Karakura in his gigai, following his petite friend who, for the first time in about a year, truly smiled at him. He felt like it had been just too long and he wished he could have brought that smile to her face sooner, but he had not known how to do it. Even now, he was sure it was nothing that he had done to make her feel better, but that didn't change the fact that he was happy to see her smile again. It's been too long indeed.

However, his smile quickly faded when he realized just where they were standing.

"Oh no," he said and quickly looked away as Rukia pouted at him. "No way in Hell. I'm _not_ going in there," he repeated fiercely. Rukia huffed at him.

"I don't see why you wouldn't. Come on, it'll be fun, Renji!" she said as she tried to pull him to the cashier, but he stood his ground firmly.

"It'll be fun my ass! I'm not going in there Rukia! Not even if your brother threatens me, which I doubt he will in this case. I'm not following you in there, got it?"

"Why are you so stubborn? Jesus, even Ichigo didn't complain as much," Rukia said as she released Renji's arm and turned back to the entrance of the Entertainment Park. She smirked when she heard Renji choke on his saliva as soon as Ichigo's name left her lips.

"I-Ichigo? He… He actually went in there with you?" Renji stuttered, looking at her as if she had grown a second head, then at the entrance and back at her again. She didn't turn around, too afraid that her foolish grin would betray the blatant lie.

"Yes… he did" she stuttered, trying to suppress the giggles that threatened to escape, especially when she tried to imagine herself forcing Ichigo to set even one foot into Chappy Land. She didn't lie when she said he didn't complain. He really didn't. But last time she tried to get him to come with her, he just turned around and told her he'd meet her at the entrance in two hours, after handing her enough money for the entrance and various ride tickets. Too bad she didn't feel like going in there alone and ended up following him elsewhere instead.

"OK, OK. Guess once can't be that bad. If Ichigo lived through it…" Renji stated unsurely as he decided to just this once forget his pride. He didn't believe Rukia's words. He knew Ichigo well enough to know that the young Substitute would never set foot in this place, even if his life depended on it. But since it was Rukia's first time to actually smile… the lieutenant of the sixth division just couldn't bring himself to erase that smile.

Something told him he'd regret this, but just this once, he would suck it up and live through being in a place that reeks of Rukia's rabbit obsession. This once, he would live through it… just to see her smile a bit longer.

Rukia just watched him silently as she calmed down, her smile suddenly becoming a little sad. Not a sight Renji wanted to see.

"Thank you, Renji, but there's no need. Besides, even if we take it a bit easy today, we're still on a mission. I doubt our target would hide there of all places. And I know you didn't fall for my lie. You know that orange haired idiot as well as I do, and we both know he wouldn't set even a single toe behind that gate no matter what kind of fate you threatened him with."

"You still knew him better than I did," Renji countered as they walked away from the park and Rukia's smile became brighter again.

'_You don't know how right you are, Renji_' the petite Shinigami thought as she cast a last glance at Chappy Land. While it was true that she never managed to drag Ichigo there, that didn't mean that for the last birthday present he had ever given her _he_ had dragged _her_ there. After making her promise that it would stay their little secret of course. And she intended on keeping that promise.

Ichigo couldn't help but grin when he saw Nel's childish pout after she lost _yet another_ game without getting as much as even five prize-tickets. Somehow, on their stroll through Karakura, the two of them ended up at the Arcade and Nel had dragged him inside. Not that he minded. He liked to go to the Arcade from time to time. Of course, he would have preferred being there with his friends but one couldn't always have what one wished for.

Or at least that's what he thought until he heard a rather familiar voice.

"Damn it all! I can't believe I lost again!" Ichigo turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw two boys, one with brown and the other with black hair. Even from behind, the hybrid had no problem telling who they were. It was Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, his former classmates.

"It wasn't really losing, Keigo. You still got second best score. Besides, it's just a game," Mizuiro replied calmly as he took his cell out of his pocket and started to text away, with yet another girlfriend (much older than himself) no doubt.

"Just a game? Just a game? Mizuiro, this is the _only_ game in the whole Arcade that I never had a high score in. But that's going to change. Just you watch. Keigo Asano, the Arcade King is going to master this game," Keigo shouted as he started to look through his pockets for more money, but it looked like he didn't have any left.

"My my, aren't we getting worked up. You're really passionate about this game, Asano-san. Is it this good?" Mizuiro asked, suddenly switching to Keigo's last name and pocketing his cell phone. Keigo immediately stopped looking for money and gazed at Mizuiro and Ichigo was sure, even if he couldn't see it, that the brown haired boy had fake tears in his eyes.

"Why are you being so formal again, Mizuiro? We're friends, aren't we?" Keigo all but yelled as he tried to jump onto his friend, but Mizuiro sidestepped with ease, which resulted with Keigo landing flat on his face on the ground.

Ichigo chuckled to himself quietly. These two haven't changed one single bit. Slowly, his now ocean-blue eyes wandered to the game Keigo was so set on winning and his grin only got bigger. It was one of the many race-games, and it was the only one Ichigo ever got a high score in before Keigo, which the brown haired boy had never forgiven him, even if it was just a total fluke. And it seemed he still tried to beat the score Ichigo got back then.

The former Deputy Shinigami didn't notice when his feet started carrying him over to the pair, but he noticed that he was a lot closer to them all of a sudden. Still, he didn't try to get their attention. It would be weird anyway. As far as they were concerned, he was just another stranger.

And he was about to find out just how right that statement was.

As Keigo finally got up from the ground and sat back up in front of the screen, the high score list came up. Asano eyed it wearily.

"Well, might as well find out what score it is that I'm trying to beat."

Ichigo blinked. He didn't remember it? But the former Soul Reaper was sure that both his friends were with him when he scored it. And Keigo's reaction was enough for him to know that the other would not forget that number of points until he got an even better one. So how come he forgot?

"What? Three thousand seven hundred and forty-nine? Dude, who could manage such a score?" he heard Keigo's voice again and his eyes wandered back to the pair of his former friends. Mizuiro, for once, seemed really interested in what Keigo was saying, if the fact that he was trying to read the small letters over his shoulder was anything to go by.

"K. Ichigo," Kojima read aloud and for a moment there was silence (more or less, considering the crowded Arcade). "Do you know who that is?"

If Ichigo had been drinking something at that moment, he would have spit it out. His eyes widened as he stared at the backs of his classmates like he saw them for the first time in his life. He just couldn't believe it. The Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid couldn't believe that his friends had forgotten him. They couldn't have… right?

"I have absolutely no clue. Never heard of anyone going by that name," Keigo answered before slamming his hand into the playing machine. "But damn, how did a _girl_ get a score this high in a game like that?"

If eyes could truly jump out of their sockets, in the literal meaning of the sentence, then Ichigo's would have done just that.

'_Girl? He thinks I'm a girl? What the Hell is going on? How… How could they forget?_' the ex-Shinigami thought bewildered. He didn't understand anything that was happening right now. He just couldn't understand it.

"How do you know it's a girl?" the black haired boy asked.

"Have you ever heard of a guy with a name as girly as 'Strawberry'?" Keigo asked back. Ichigo clenched his fists. His name was not girly! The now brown haired teenager was about to go over and give them a piece of his mind, despite the fact that they didn't actually know him (or at least they believed they didn't), but Nel gripped his sleeve and started pulling him towards another game she wanted to try out.

One look at the young Arrancar girl was enough for Ichigo to connect the dots. Of course, there was only one explanation as to why his friends didn't remember him at all. Soul Society.

"**How does that explain anything, King?"** Tsuchiro asked him and Ichigo sighed mentally.

'_Think about it. Not a lot of people know about ghosts, much less about Hollows and Soul Reapers, and even less know that I was one. Do you think Soul Society would actually bother to come up with a plausible excuse for my death? One that would work even for the people who were completely 'normal'?_' Ichigo asked his alter ego. Tsuchiro huffed in annoyance.

"**It's not like it would have been difficult. An accident would do. A… what was that device that moves rapidly on four wheels called? Kar accident? Quar accident?"**

'_You mean a car accident,_' Ichigo corrected and his Inner self nodded his head. The hybrid sighed.

'_Apparently, they still thought that making everyone think I never existed would be easier for everyone,_' he finally said.

"**But your family remembered you, didn't they?"** Tsuchiro asked again and Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Now that he thought about it that was true. His family remembered him and he had a feeling they never forgot him in the first place. But they were the only ones, at least from the people who were alive and 'normal'. There was also Chad, Orihime and Ishida, but they were involved in the war, so Ichigo doubted Soul Society would make them forget if they let them keep their powers. But that didn't explain why his family never forgot.

"_**I believe you have Rukia to thank for that, Ichigo"**_Zangetsu butted into the conversation, interrupting Ichigo's thoughts. Silently, Ichigo agreed with his Zanpakutō.

Their conversation ended there as the waiting line to the game Nel wanted to play so badly finally ended, since people gave up on waiting. Ichigo chuckled when he saw what she wanted to play. It was Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. But he didn't comment as he let a few coins slip into the machine before playing away, him controlling the main fighter and Nel staying behind, doing the deed of healing and helping out occasionally with some spells. And before they knew it, a roll of prize-tickets started to flow out of the machine.

Renji sighed in content as he stretched out on the green grass, his brown eyes staring at the sky above him. Birds were singing all around and the sun was warming him to the point where he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep on the more than comfortable ground of Karakura Park. Rukia lay beside him with a content smile of her own spread across her face.

"Man, why can't all missions be like this? No stress, no fighting, no paper work, just relaxation. God knows how much I needed it," Renji said, cutting the silence. Rukia chuckled.

"Most of the missions aren't like that because most don't consist of finding someone who's as good as impossible to find when you look for him," she answered. But then, her gaze hardened again. "Too bad we can't find him when we aren't looking either," she sighed.

"I'm not complaining. After the last few weeks here, both us and Karakura deserve a little calm, don't you think? Besides, I feel like our roads will cross again soon. No need to rush things," Renji said and his raven haired companion nodded her head.

"Yeah, you're probably right" she answered as her eyelids closed again. She couldn't help but recall one of the many days she spent just like that, yet in someone else's company. But the thought didn't bring pain to her this time. Thinking about him was never going to hurt her again, she knew it.

She didn't notice when she drifted away from physical reality that was Karakura and found herself on the snowy mountain in her Inner World.

"There you are, Rukia" a familiar, female voice spoke. Rukia turned on her belly before standing up and dusting her shihakusho off. She then looked up at the woman in front of her.

"Sode no Shirayuki" the raven haired Shinigami said in greeting, with a smile on her face. The white haired woman smiled back, but it was short lived before a frown won over her features.

"You feel it, do you not?" she asked gently and Rukia nodded but said nothing, so the other part of her Soul continued instead. "This calm will not last long. And once the storm breaks out, nothing will stop it. You must be prepared," she lectured and Rukia nodded again before standing next to the Zanpakutō spirit and looking over the snow covered fields in front of her.

"I feel something coming," she said finally, "but I can't explain how I know it, nor what it is that will happen. It's strange. It's almost like I'm hearing the echo of someone else's thoughts. It feels like the feeling isn't mine but someone else's. As if I'm not in my own head, but in someone else's soul."

Sode no Shirayuki said nothing as she continued gazing at the horizon. What could she say if there was nothing to tell?

"Just what the Hell is happening to me?" Rukia finally asked as she moved her hand to rest over her heart. "This anxiety… it's not only the feeling of knowing something will happen. It's more like I'm waiting for it to happen. And like I want it to happen fast," Rukia stopped and shook her head. Only now did Sode no Shirayuki look straight at her, but Rukia didn't notice, her eyes still looking straight ahead at the horizon… where unknown to her or her sword, the Connection Point was stationed.

And on one of the islands, a cherry blossom tree stood, lonely and finally freed of the snow and icicles, just as the thin layer of ice with the black sun painted on it melted away, leaving the lake free. And as soon as the last of the ice melted away, the tree broke out in black flames while the lake started shining bright blue. The short chain that hung from the tree suddenly became longer and reached almost to the lakes surface, just high enough for a swimming person to grab it without much effort, for that was its purpose; it served as a help to get out to whoever entered through this doorway.

Unconsciously, Rukia had broken the seal on the doorway to Ichigo's Inner World, letting the light of both his Shinigami and Hollow power shine brightly on the river that was the source, painting it different shades of gray and blue and making an unbelievable light spectacle. But soon, the light faded away as the flames covering the tree quieted down and the shine of the lake became duller. From where Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki were standing, not even as much as a small glimmer of light could be seen. But something could be felt.

"Something has changed already," Rukia's Zanpakutō said suddenly and Rukia nodded.

"Yes, I felt it," the raven haired Death God replied.

"There isn't much time left before the storm begins. You must be ready," the white haired, tall woman said again as she drew her snow white sword. "Draw your sword, Rukia," she instructed. The petite girl did as she was told, but wouldn't hide the wonder and confusion in her eyes. Sode no Shirayuki smiled.

"It's time you see the true power I hold Rukia. And now, you are also ready. You are ready to see the true power of my dance," she said calmly as Rukia's eyes widened. There was no doubt that the raven haired girl understood what the taller woman meant.

"This is the last dance I ever learned. The last of the four I ever performed. Watch well Rukia. Watch and learn it, and remember it well, for it's far more powerful than the other three."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sode no Shirayuki unleashed her attack, leaving Rukia staring with wide eyes. Never had she seen something this beautiful and deadly at the same time. It was amazing. The Zanpakutō spirit did not exaggerate when she said that this dance was nothing like the previous three. Compared to it, the rest seemed like mere warm ups.

"That was… beautiful," the raven haired Shinigami said when Shirayuki was done. The other woman only smiled.

"And it's stronger if two people dance together," she replied. But she didn't give Rukia a chance to ask what she meant exactly as she spoke in an authority-tone, much like a teacher to a student would:

"Now you do it."

Rukia inhaled deeply, exhaled and started to dance. Once, then twice, then ten times one after another, never stopping. She would only stop once she learned that dance. It was easier said than done, but the violet-eyed girl didn't give up. She was determined to learn it and she was going to give it her all. Giving up was not an option. It never was and it never will be.

Ichigo finally decided that enough was enough and their winning spree stopped abruptly. Nel pouted at him, but it only resulted in making him laugh at how cute she looked. When the comment slipped his mouth, she found herself laughing as well.

"Ne, Itsygo, do you think Nel's got enough of these to get a prize?" the girl asked him and Ichigo scratched his head.

"Well, that depends on what you want to get," he said as he counted the tickets. It was enough for a small plushy maybe but not much more. The game Nel chose just wasn't one that gave tickets away easily, so after about three hours of playing non-stop, they only managed to squeeze about fifty out of it. Still, Nel dragged him to the counter as she inspected the prizes. Suddenly, her eyes went wide as she pointed at one of the stuffed toys on one of the middle shelves.

"Nel wants that one, Nel wants that one," she said excitedly. Ichigo followed her pointed finger, and his face almost lost all of its color when he saw just what she was pointing at. It was a simple, small, yellow lion plushy with two blue stripes on its head. Ichigo would recognize it anywhere, so he had no doubt who and what it was he was looking at. There was no mistaking it.

Question was, how in the world did Kon get into the Arcade and become a prize there. And of course, Ichigo needed to verify that the pill with the Modsoul was still inside the stuffed body first, because by the looks of it, it was not. But then again, thanks to being in Yuzu's care, Kon had learned to play 'dead' pretty good.

"Sorry, how much for the yellow stuffed lion?" Ichigo asked the clerk politely. It was a young man in his early twenties Ichigo realized, with shoulder length brown hair and black eyes. The man eyed him, then Nel before smiling brightly.

"Normally, it would be hundred tickets, but for a girl as cute as you, I'll cut it down to sixty," he said with a smile as he ruffled Nel's hair. The young Arrancar girl pouted and Ichigo sighed.

"Come on then, Nel. Let's play some more to get enough tickets," he said and she beamed at him. He didn't even try to ask her if she wanted something else, for he doubted she was any different than other young girls, even if she was an Arrancar. And he knew from experience with his sisters that when they chose something they wanted, nothing else would satisfy them, so he, as the older brother, had to win enough tickets. Not that he minded. He enjoyed playing.

He was about to ask Nel what she wanted to play when something caught his attention. It was Keigo and Mizuiro again, but this time, there was someone else with them. It was Tatsuki. And oddly enough, the black haired girl looked like she just ran a marathon… or like she had just fought quite the bunch of skilled fighters. Unwillingly, Ichigo caught a bit of their conversation.

"Man Arisawa, I never thought you could be this out of breath. You look like you got quite a beating there," Keigo taunted earning himself a punch on the head.

"Shut up! I was at least able to get to the seventh round," she cursed at them before releasing a long breath and slowly regaining her breath. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. What were they talking about?

"I'm telling you, there's no one who could ever win in this game. It's unreal," Tatsuki continued as she stood up and cracked her knuckles. "I think I'm going to give it another shot later."

The other two just gaped at her like she was crazy, while Ichigo silently wondered what game they were talking about. But he soon found out as the voice of one of the clerks cut through the many voices. The guy was probably using a megaphone or something of the kind, Ichigo figured.

"Come and try the newest game at our Arcade! Test your skills in real-time combat. The first one to play through the whole game gets a special surprise!" the man yelled. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but went in the direction nevertheless, failing to notice that his three ex-classmates did the same thing, since they wanted to see if anyone else tried the game.

When Ichigo gazed at the machine, he admitted that it was not what he expected. The game had to be the newest in the whole Arcade, and obviously on another level than the others. From what it looked like, it seemed to be based on a Wii-game. The player had to put on special glasses, so that it seemed like the surroundings were the ones of the game. He would practically be brought into the game. So if one wanted to win, one had to be able to fight for real.

But seeing as even Tatsuki, the second strongest girl in Japan, had not won, it was not something to be taken lightly… by a human. Ichigo was more than that, though, so he didn't think of it as much of a challenge. He would have simply walked away, since he preferred real fights, plus he wanted to take a break today, but Nel tugged his sleeve and gave him the look. He sighed as he started to push through the crowd towards the game, not even noticing when he passed the three people he used to be friends with.

"Hey, look at that guy," Keigo said when he passed them. "Looks like another victim to Amidamaru, The Monster-Samurai."

Beside him, Tatsuki let out a silent snort.

"I don't see why people still try. It's obvious that this game is impossible to win."

"Says the girl who wanted to give it another shot once she regained her breath," Keigo replied.

"That's only because I see it as an interesting way to train," Tatsuki replied calmly, but Keigo only waved her off.

"Come on, let's see how he does. I'm curious actually. He seems… kinda different" Mizuiro interrupted and the three nodded as they fought their way closer to get a better view. Somehow, all three of them couldn't help but feel somewhat weird at the sight of the brown haired boy, but they couldn't tell why.

"I'd like to give it a shot" Ichigo said to the clerk as he arrived near enough. The man smiled as he started the game and handed him the glasses. Ichigo put them on and whistled mentally. That was some technology. It was like he was on the fighting spot in reality. It was hard to believe it was just a virtual image.

The place that was going to be his battlefield was a lonely hill with nothing on or around it, probably to ensure enough space to fight. In the distance, one could see something that looked like a small town. Just by looking at it, Ichigo guessed that the game was set in feudal Japan.

He sighed as the only thing that destroyed the amazing effect of reality appeared. Letters, explaining how the game worked precisely, flashed in front of his eyes. In short, all he had to do was beat a certain number of fighters with his bare hands, and they'd most likely be armed, seeing as he chose the most difficult option.

"He chose the 'pro' option?" Keigo asked in disbelief as he stared at the young man. Beside him, Mizuiro was rubbing his eyes, as if making sure he wasn't seeing things. The other onlookers did pretty much the same thing, except Tatsuki who seemed unaffected, as she too had played on the pro-mode.

"Oh, he's so going to get his ass kicked," someone said.

"He's committing virtual suicide here," another person laughed.

"Oh boy, oh boy, that will be record-lose," a third voice was heard. Only Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro stayed silent. But that didn't prevent them from gaping with their mouths open just like everyone else once the game started. The view was simply unbelievable and the three friends would laugh in the face of anyone who said they saw such a thing, were they not seeing it themselves right now. The teenager was moving at amazing speed, kicking and punching away at his opponents (as everyone was able to see on the gigantic screen behind him that showed the onlookers the on goings of the game) with such ease it seemed unreal.

And twenty minutes later, the ten rounds of the game were over, with the brown haired teen getting out of the virtual fight victoriously, albeit out of breath.

"Now, that was intense," Ichigo commented as he left the game-stage, so that others could play if they wanted to, but no one even moved.

"Come on, Nel. Let's get the prize you wanted. We should have enough tickets now," he said as they made their way back to the cashier to retrieve Kon… or at least Ichigo truly hoped it was Kon.

"Nel wants the yellow lion," the Arrancar girl said excitedly to the man behind the counter as Ichigo gave him sixty tickets. The man took them without a word and handed the plushy to Nel with a smile on his face. The green haired girl squealed in delight as she squeezed the plushy with all her might and Ichigo could swear he heard a strangled cry. Good, it seemed that Kon's pill was still in there. What was left now was to find out how in the world he had become a prize at the Arcade.

The ex-Shinigami's gaze wandered back to the prizes. He had still a few tickets left, since the combat game he played spit out quite the bunch of them. His ocean-blue eyes darted through the prizes, and to his biggest surprise, he noticed something he never expected to see at an Arcade. He smiled as he put the tickets on the counter, hoping that he had enough.

"I'll take that book over there," he said, pointing at the highest shelf. The middle-aged man looked up and whistled at the choice as he took the tickets.

"Nice choice there, son. Never expected anyone here to take it," he said as he climbed a ladder to get the book down. Once he descended, he handed it over to Ichigo.

"Just as I never expected to see one of these books in an Arcade of all places," Ichigo admitted as he took the book and put it under his arm. "Who would have thought that William Shakespeare's books could be 'bought' at the Arcade? That's just stupid," he added with a soft chuckle, shaking his head at the stupidity of it. The young clerk laughed too.

"Tell that to the idiot who decided to give it to us, saying that 'there would no doubt be an idiot here who would read such crap'," he said, quoting the previous owner of the book. Ichigo laughed. Whoever that was, he had crazy ideas. But seeing as Ichigo had just chosen it, maybe there was a little bit of truth there.

"Well, have a nice day. I'll be on my way," Ichigo said before he and Nel left the store, distinctly aware of the three stares he and Nel received on their way out.

"Why do I get the weird feeling that I know this guy from somewhere?" Tatsuki asked no one in particular.

"I don't know," Mizuiro replied, "but it feels good to know I'm not the only one."

Keigo only nodded, but said nothing as the mysterious boy vanished from their sight.

Rukia slowly opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the sky above her. She sat up on the grass and looked around, finding herself in the same place she had 'fallen asleep' at: the Karakura Park. Only Renji was no longer lying beside her and the sun was setting.

"So, finally done?" Renji asked as he popped up seemingly out of nowhere, startling her and making her jump. She smacked him on the head, telling him to never sneak up on her again, to which he agreed under a hit-threat.

"What took you so long anyway?" he asked after a while as they slowly started to walk back towards Urahara's shōten.

"Sode no Shirayuki had something to show me," Rukia replied, ignoring Renji's wide eyed stare. "And no, I'm not going to show it to you. Not yet. I haven't quite gotten the hang of it," she answered his unasked question. Renji sighed.

"Fine, fine."

They continued walking in comfortable silence, sometimes breaking it to talk about small things, like the day they had just had. Rukia had to admit that the small vacation was something she had really needed and she was glad she had taken it easy today. She had a feeling that starting tomorrow, if not sooner, she'd have to be at full power. And in that case, the day off had only done her good.

'_No matter what comes my way,_' she thought with a smile, '_I know I can take it head on, as long as you're by my side, Ichigo._'

'_And I will always be by your side Rukia. I swear on my soul, that you're not going to be alone. Never ever,_' she heard and her eyes widened. She knew he was always with her. Ever since that morning, she could feel him somewhere deep inside her if she looked deep enough. But she never expected him to actually hear and answer her.

Then again, he did tell her that he wouldn't always be able toanswer her calls, but he didn't say he'd never be able to. Maybe it had something to do with how badly she actually wanted him to hear and respond? Rukia didn't know the answer, but she didn't particularly care either.

'_Thanks, Ichigo,_' she responded, but this time, only silence responded her thoughts. She didn't mind though. She knew he was there, somewhere. She could feel it. And knowing that gave her strength.

"Earth to Rukia! Are you even listening to me?" Renji's voice suddenly snapped her out of her reverie and she blinked in confusion, managing only a small 'huh?' in response. Renji sighed.

"Jeez, Rukia, you could at least listen to me when I'm talking to you instead of tuning me out completely when you think of something or talk to your sword?" he asked annoyed and Rukia shot him a glare, but her gaze softened quickly.

"Sorry, I spaced out," was all she said. "What did you say?"

"I was only asking you whether you are feeling it too," Renji replied with another sigh. Rukia looked at him with question in her violet eyes.

"Feeling what?" she asked.

"Well… I don't know how to put it… Like something bad is going to happen or something. As of this was only the calm before the storm, you know? And to be honest, I feel like that storm isn't too far off," the Vice-captain of the sixth squad admitted. Rukia sighed as she let her gaze fall to the ground.

"Yeah, I feel this way too. I felt like that the whole day to be honest."

"Any idea what this might mean?"

"No. Only that we should be prepared for it, because it's not going to be something small. At least that's what Sode No Shirayuki thinks."

"Yeah, Zabimaru said the same thing. 'We need to be prepared for the worst storm Soul Society has lived through' he said."

Rukia stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide. Sode No Shirayuki warned her about the trial ahead, but she never said it could be something as bad as the worst storm in the history of Soul Society. And if Renji was right, then it wasn't the best timing for them either. While it was true that Sereitei slowly recovered from the losses of the Winter War and even managed to find new Captains and Vice-Captains for all squads, it still wasn't anywhere near a full recovery. And it would take quite a while for the Soul Reapers to recover and return back to normal completely. Longer than just a year, that was certain.

And if another war was coming up, one that would be as hard as the previous one at that, Rukia was quite sure Gotei Thirteen wouldn't be able to get out of it alive.

"Are you sure, Renji?" she asked, using all of her Kuchiki skills in order not to show her emotions. Renji raised an eyebrow at her before sighing.

"I'm not. That's what Zabimaru said. But you don't know that baboon. He might be wrong," he was trying to be optimistic, Rukia could say that much. Yet now that he mentioned that suspicion, she couldn't help but feel wary.

"But he could also be right, Renji. Think of it. Suddenly, weirdly strong Hollows appear in Karakura and their numbers only keep increasing. An Arrancar alert comes up, but there doesn't seem to be a single Arrancar here, except for Nel, but she's only a child and I doubt she would have set the alarm off. And, there's still the guy we're supposed to capture," she said, resting her chin between her fingers and frowning in thought.

"What about him?" Renji asked, although he had a pretty clear idea what she meant.

"What do we know about him, Renji? As good as nothing. For all we know, _he_ might be the Arrancar we were looking for. I don't know how that thought never crossed my mind, but wouldn't that only make sense to you?"

"But he's not fighting on the side of the Hollows, he's fighting the Hollows. And he helped us out a couple of times. Why would he do that if he was truly the enemy? I mean, sure, he's our target, but you know, lately, I've been thinking that maybe we're after the wrong person," Renji admitted.

Rukia sighed as she started walking again, falling into step with Renji. For a while, she didn't say anything, thinking intensely. Suddenly she frowned as a peculiar thought entered her mind.

"I started to think that, too. No matter how we look at it, he doesn't seem to be our enemy," she admitted, but she couldn't deny that something seemed off about that theory. Yesterday, when they fought the Hollow and he came to help out, she had managed to catch him in her kidō and had tried to see who hid beneath the cowl. But she had backed away when she heard him talk. His voice… it was suspicious, if not to say weird. It sounded neither human, nor hollow but more like a mix of the two. Like something in between.

"Except for the fact that we can't tell what kind of creature he really is," she finally said before explaining to Renji what she meant. For a moment, the redhead only stared at the Vice-Captain of the thirteenth squad before finally speaking.

"Neither Human nor Hollow? But in that case, what the Hell is he and what is his business here? _And_, which is also very important in my opinion… _who_ the fuck is he?"

Rukia sighed in defeat before shaking her head.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "But what I do know is that we shouldn't trust him. He doesn't seem like the enemy right now, but Aizen Sosuke didn't seem like one either. What if this person is trying to win our trust so that he could stab us in the back later?"

"Do you really think that's what he wants?" Renji asked her and Rukia let out a long breath before muttering a quiet 'I don't know what to think about him'. Right now, only questions rose in her head. Important questions which she could not find any answers to. So she said nothing and they continued walking in silence until they reached the shōten.

Ichigo sighed as he gave up on reading his new book and shut it. He couldn't concentrate on what he was reading right now, even if it was exquisite work on the author's part. That shouldn't surprise him though, as all the works of Shakespeare seemed amazing to him. The man just had one Hell of a talent, Ichigo gave him that.

But no matter how good it was, it couldn't tear Ichigo away from his worries.

The Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid closed his eyes as he started inhaling and exhaling, all while massaging his temples, hoping to calm his nerves. But it didn't help. He was feeling it all day, and as time passed it only got worse. By now, he was already on edge, almost jumping at the smallest spike of reiatsu somewhere. But he couldn't help it. Not with what he was feeling.

He sighed as his eyes wandered towards the sky. Neliel looked up at him from her spot on the grass where she was playing with her new toy, which Ichigo suspected to be Kon. But if he was right, the Modsoul had gotten extremely good at playing a stuffed toy, Ichigo gave him that much.

"What's wrong?" Nel asked him with worry visible on her childish face. Ichigo let out another sigh.

"Can you feel it, Nel? Can you feel the approaching storm?" he asked her back. But the young Arrancar didn't look up at the sky, nor did she ask him what he was talking about since the sky was as good as cloudless, painted in beautiful colors the setting sun provided it with. Nel knew well that he didn't mean the weather. She sighed as well as she stood up from the soft grass and sat beside him on the bench, her stuffed toy still in her arms. They were at the park, in the very same spot Rukia and Renji had been chilling at a few hours prior and Ichigo could still feel the traces of their spiritual pressure hanging in the air.

"Nel feels it," the young Arrancar girl replied quietly. "And Nel can tell it's not far off. Nel feels that this calm is going to end soon."

"Yeah, me too. And I don't like it. It makes me feel like I didn't prepare enough and like I'm going to pay the price for it," Ichigo admitted. What he said was true. He did feel this way. If he were to be completely honest, the feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach had been there all day long, but it only got this bad now. As if the beginning of the fight was closer than he thought it was.

"Nel isn't worried. Nel's sure that whatever is out there, Itsygo can beat it, because from what Nel has seen, Itsygo is as good as unbeatable," the young Arrancar tried to cheer him up and he couldn't help but chuckle before he replied.

"Thanks Nel, but I must disappoint you there. I'm pretty sure I am beatable. There's no soul in this world, or in the World of the Dead for that matter, that would be unbeatable. Besides, how can I be unbeatable if I already died once?"

Nel didn't say anything as she turned her head away, understanding what he meant. But the young Arrancar refused to accept the thought that Ichigo might be killed one day when he encounters someone stronger than himself.

"Itsygo didn't truly die. Itsygo is still here so he didn't die," the young girl replied fiercely and Ichigo sighed.

"You know what I meant, Nel," he said. The green haired girl said nothing and unwillingly clutched the prize she got at the Arcade tighter to her chest. It was then that the small lion (finally) gave out a small sound of protest which was impossible to miss. Neliel's eyes widened as she pulled the toy away and stared at it, while Ichigo chuckled under his breath.

"Well, what do you know, the Modsoul is still in there" he mumbled under his breath, but neither Kon nor Nel heard him. Not that he particularly cared either, as at that precise moment, something changed in the air and both Ichigo and his Arrancar companion jumped to their feet before nodding at each other.

"This way," was all Nel said before jumping onto his shoulder and pointing her finger in the right direction as Ichigo raced where she was pointing as quickly as he could. The spiritual pressure was not too far off. But this time, Ichigo knew it wasn't just a Tough Mask or another Hollow that appeared. It seemed that he and Nel had been correct. The calm really didn't last long.

"Get ready, Nel," Ichigo said as he stopped at the entrance of a clearing where a year and a bit more ago he met Ulquiorra and Yammy for the first time. And as expected, the person with the immense reiatsu he felt was standing there calmly as if nothing were wrong. But just one look at him was enough for Ichigo to know that this was the person whose reiatsu had almost sent them jumping three miles into the air mere minutes ago.

His posture was calm, as if nothing was going to happen in a second or two, Ichigo slowly reached into his pocket, where Nigaru's Soul Candy was.

And the fierce storm that was hovering over them for a long time now finally broke out.

**An evil cliffie, I know, but I couldn't stop myself LOL But hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. Please review, and sorry again for the delay… and I mean a double delay here if I shall be honest. One because of the late update and the other… Well…**

**Remember how I told you back in chapter 6 (I think) that I was gonna get started on the real plot of the story? I just noticed that it was actually a lie. The REAL plot will start only at the beginning of the next chapter. Sorry.**

**Uhm… do you think I'm taking too long and should speed things up a bit? Please, tell me that in a review too, OK? YOUR OPINION MATTERS! A LOT!**

**Well, see ya next time I update. I'll try not to take as long this time. Ciao XD**

**BONUS: OMAKE**

Ichigo emerged from the window of the Connection Point and entered his Inner World after meeting Rukia. But he didn't expect to see a person there that was waiting for him.

Yoruichi (smirking mischievously): My my, it surely took you a while, Ichigo.

Ichigo (wide eyed): Y-Yoruichi? What the Hell are you doing here?

Y: Did you think you were the only one who knew about the Connection Point, Ichigo?

I (annoyed): That doesn't answer my question.

Y: I just came to check up on you is all, only to find out that you have left for Rukia's head. So I waited for you. And now that you're here… come on, spit it out. You did _it_, didn't you?

I (blushing madly): Wh-What the Hell? What are you thinking? It was nothing like that!

Y: Oh, reeealy…

I: Really. We didn't do anything.

Y: Then why are you blushing Ichigo?

I: Wha… I'm not blushing!

Y (chuckling): Yes you are. Now come on, you can tell me. I know you did it, so spit the juicy details.

I (still bead red): I keep telling you, we didn't do anything!

Y:… Then why do you have sex-hair?

I (thinking, not talking): '_Fuck_'


	11. Let the Fight Begin

**Jeez, look at this 15 463 word (22.5 pages) long monster! I spend a freaking day typing it out. Believe me, it was not easy. And would you believe most of it is pure action and ass kicking?**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay. I just thought that since I now have a beta, I would wait before posting this chapter until she catches up with proof-reading the other ten chapters before I posted this one, but since my chapters are long and she has still her own life (which I respect totally), I thought that maybe waiting wasn't a good idea. Needless to say, this chapter wasn't really proof-read. Well, I did read it through, but there is a chance I missed something, just so you know.**

**And since we are on this topic, wouldn't there be a second volunteer to help me and my other beta out? It would speed updates up, probably, especially since it's summer now, so I have more than enough time to write LOL All I need is someone to help me and **_**romancejunky**_** to proof-read my work (since I know that correcting chapters as long as this one can be quite a pain in the ass). So, if there are any volunteers, please let me know and thanks in advance and enjoy the chapter. And don't forget to keep your awesome reviews coming, they make my day :3**

**WARNING:**** Shiro is DEFINITELY OOC in this one… but on the other hand, you should be rather used to that by now…**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:**

_**1290r5**_**: I'm glad you liked it, and as you asked, I updated. Sorry for the delay, but I think I should be able to speed my writing up now during summer… once I finish my finals that is.**

_**Cavlin**_**: No harm done. I'm not going to hate you for not reviewing for a while. I'm just glad you did now. Besides, it's my own fault for taking so long to update LOL I'm really glad you like the story though. But as for Rukia finding out Ichi's alive… well, you have to keep reading to find out :3**

_**fuser**_**: Thank you for reviewing and I'm happy to hear you like the fic, even though you feared it would be a romance at first (which in a way it is). I know that in this fic, the Zanpakutō (and Shiro) interact more with their wielders, but I was always wondering why Kubo gave these damned swords Souls when he almost wasn't using them, so I decided to make them act a bit more. As for Zangetsu speaking less in riddles… I know, but riddles aren't my forte, sorry.**

_**lilica**_**: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed. But in the end, I didn't get one thing: so do you think I should speed the plot up or not? Because one moment you say it's slow, the next you say it's good the way it is XD You lost me. Anyway, hope you enjoy what's to come as you enjoyed what already happened. Stay tuned and one day, you shall see how Rukia find out the truth about Ichigo :]**

_**Standard disclaimer and reader's key required. Foot notes at the bottom, as always, marked either by a '*' or by a number in parenthesis, since it's a pain to have seven stars one after another breaking the text up.**_

**Thousand thanks to **_**StrawBerryFlutterBy **_**for beta-ing this chapter.**

* * *

_Chapter 11 – Let the Fight Begin_

Ichigo stood in front of the person whom he and Nel felt a second ago and simply glared at him. He didn't need anyone to tell him that it was a Hollow that was standing before him. It being an Arrancar was an even greater possibility, since he looked almost human. At the sight of him, Ichigo had to suppress a shudder. He could tell that this Arrancar was different from the ones he had met before. This man was definitely not someone to mess around with, but the Hybrid could not quite tell what made him different from the many Arrancar he had fought during the war.

The Hollow before him was wearing something similar to the Arrancar uniform that Aizen had imposed on his subordinates; a tight, white coat reaching down to his behind with a high collar going right up under his chin. Unlike the many Espada Ichigo had encountered in the past, this Arrancar actually had his coat closed. His legs were covered by straight, white jeans and he was wearing white sneakers. The only 'big' change to the 'uniform' was a cloak similar to Ichigo's that hung around his shoulders. Only that, contrary to the orange haired man's, his was lacking the hood, giving a full display of his face.

He had golden eyes, much like Ichigo's when he put his mask on back when he was still fully human, but his sclera were still white. His black as the darkest night hair, would be reaching down to his shoulders had it been left loose, but the Hollow had bound it up with the help of a few dark green clamps. Looking at him like that, hairstyle aside, Ichigo was strongly reminded of Ulquiorra after the Cuarta Espada released his second stage of Resurrección. Even the look on his face matched perfectly, as it was wiped clean of any emotion at all, and his skin was the same alabaster white as the Cuarta's. The only difference was the rest of his Hollow mask, which had a simple white ring encircling his head starting in of the middle his forehead, much like a poorly made diadem.

"Strange," the Hollow spoke, his voice rather low, reminding the brown haired teen of Ulquiorra once again. "I was sure she was here. I felt her spiritual pressure… Could it be that I only felt traces of it and she has already left?"

The Arrancar seemed not to have noticed Ichigo at all, and to say that the hooded boy was annoyed by it was an understatement, but he willed himself to stay more or less calm instead of acting recklessly. If the War had taught him anything, it was to never underestimate his opponents and to keep a cool head in battle, no matter what happened.

"Am I right when I assume that it's a Shinigami named Rukia Kuchiki that you're looking for?" he asked instead, finally getting the Hollows attention. Golden eyes met brown ones as the Arrancar studied Ichigo carefully.

"Yes, that assumption is correct," the Arrancar said, making Ichigo's blood boil. His thoughts were now verified. The Hollows were definitely after Rukia, but he still didn't know why.

"Why?" the orange haired teen asked through gritted teeth.

"I wonder why you'd have the need to ask, and I also wonder why you're here. As far as I know, this was supposed to be a solo mission… Oh well, can't change anything about it, can I? Let's go." As the Arrancar in front of him tried to sonido away, Ichigo used shunpō to get in his way, his hand slowly reaching for Zangetsu, while his other travelled to his shoulder before he made an arc-like motion as if he were discarding something to the side. A beam of light followed the direction in which his hand moved and made a big circle around them, Nel and Nigaru standing just outside it.

"If you want to get to Rukia," Ichigo started while he allowed a bit of his spiritual pressure to escape his body and make the ground around them shake. "Then you have to pass me first."

The Arrancar's eyes narrowed at his threat, but he reached for his sword as well, apparently admitting that Ichigo was an enemy worthy of his blade. It was apparently only then that he noticed that Ichigo wasn't on his side. As if he noticed only now that the younger man's reiatsu felt more like a Shinigami's than like a Hollow's, even though it had a Hollow tint to it at first feel.

"You're going to regret these words… Shinigami," he said as he in turn released his own spiritual pressure. Ichigo's eyes only widened a little beneath his cowl. He expected his enemy to be exceptionally strong, but it seemed he underestimated him again. The Arrancar before him was on a whole different level than he expected.

But Ichigo was not one to back down without a fight. He still believed he could beat this guy. He had to, and he would. For Rukia.

"Why are you after Rukia?" the orange haired boy repeated his question. The Hollow only smirked in return before responding.

"I'll tell you, if you prove to be worth the trouble of answering the question and the trouble of fighting you," he replied. Ichigo's scowl deepened further, but he nodded nevertheless, and without wasting another second, he swiftly took Zangetsu out of its sheath and took a battle stance, watching his enemy do the same… more or less. They charged at the exact same moment and as the two blades clashed together, sparks flew everywhere. And the storm that was hovering over them for so long finally broke out.

"What the… What's the meaning of this?" Rukia all but yelled as she stopped abruptly her running, almost causing Renji to bump into her.

"What's wrong?" the redhead asked in a worried tone. "Why did you stop so suddenly?"

"The reading…" the thirteenth squad fukutaichō said simply, still staring at her pager in disbelief. "The reading vanished," she finally managed to choke out. She couldn't understand what this meant. A second ago, an extremely powerful reading alerted her and Renji about a Hollow, possibly an Arrancar, arriving in Karakura town. Not long after, a second reading, smaller than the first but still rather strong, joined the original. And they were strong enough for both Shinigami to feel the reiatsu spikes themselves, which didn't happen often. They were both in the park she and Renji had been at not even two hours ago. The two Shinigami had quickly discarded their gigai and raced at top speed to where these two Hollows were. But they didn't even make it halfway when the reiatsu simply vanished, as if it was never there to begin with.

"What do you mean, it vanished? It couldn't have just disappeared like that! Damn, did you feel the intensity of that reiatsu? It couldn't have just evaporated into thin air damn it," Renji said, his annoyance evident in his voice.

"Then tell me, Mr. Know It All, do you feel the reiatsu now? Because I surely don't, no matter how much I dislike it," Rukia snapped back. She had a feeling that she had to get to where these two Hollows were. It was as if something bad would happen if she wasn't there.

When Renji didn't respond, she sighed. The readings might be gone, but the raven haired girl highly doubted the Hollows simply decided to return to Hueco Mundo where they belonged.

"Let's go to the park anyway. We might find something leading to where these Hollows went," she finally said as she took up her run again. Renji followed her wordlessly for a while before opening his mouth again.

"Why do I feel like the storm our Zanpakutō were warning us about has just broken out?" he asked, more himself than Rukia, but the raven haired girl responded nonetheless.

"Most probably because it did," was all she said.

Uryū Ishida stopped dead in his tracks, holding his hand out in order to stop Chad and Orihime who were following him without word. The two teens stopped with questioning looks on their faces. The Quincy's expression darkened when he turned to them.

"It's gone," he said simply as he readjusted his glasses on his nose. "Kurosaki's reiatsu and that other reiatsu is gone."

"Gone?" Chad asked silently, not saying more than what was absolutely necessary, just like he always did.

"I can't feel it anymore. It's like they vanished into thin air… or, which is more likely, like they hid their spiritual pressure," Ishida explained. "Maybe it was just a false alarm and there isn't really a threat after all," he added, silently hoping that was the case. From what he felt seconds ago, the other spiritual power was extremely high. It seemed to be greater than even Ichigo's, which up until now was impossible in the Quincy's opinion. If these two powers, Kurosaki and that other one, were to clash against each other in battle, then Uryū would have a really hard time guessing who would win. He knew his hot headed friend was strong, but from the feel he had just now, it was highly probable he met someone who could be considered his equal, if not even stronger.

To his dislike, Orihime stepped in front of him, shaking her head furiously.

"They didn't hide their spiritual pressure, Ishida-kun. I don't know what exactly happened, but they have done something to make it unable to trace them… or maybe to make sure no one died due to their power," she said, remembering how a few people died when Ulquiorra and Yammy first arrived. The two Arrancars hadn't bothered to hide their reiatsu, resulting in killing a few dozen innocent residents of Karakura with their spiritual pressure alone. Inoue had the feeling that whatever it is that hid Ichigo's and his opponent's reiatsu, was meant especially to avoid this kind of incident.

"What makes you think that, Inoue-san?" Ishida asked bewildered, and his eyes widened even more when he heard Orihime's answer.

"I feel Kurosaki-kun's spiritual pressure. It's weak, as if it was suppressed by something, but it's definitely there. And I can tell… Kurosaki-kun's fighting," the auburn haired girl said. Ishida wanted to respond, but Chad beat him to it.

"Lead the way, Inoue," he said simply, to which the young healer nodded vigorously before starting off into a run. She didn't need to ask why Chad wanted her to show him the way, for she felt the exact same way.

If Ichigo was fighting, then she would do everything she could to help. She would not let him fight alone.

Neliel simply stared at the spot in front of her, not understanding what had just happened. She narrowed her eyes.

"Where did Itsygo and that other Hollow go?" the former Tercera Espada asked no one in particular as she tried to enter the clearing, only to be stopped by what seemed to be a barrier. Her eyes widened.

"They're inside, fighting," Nigaru confirmed her fears in his calm, deep voice. "Do not worry, Neliel-sama. Ichigo is strong. He will win."

Nel nodded, but she didn't seem completely convinced.

'_His opponent is strong too,_' she thought with worry.

Ichigo quickly jumped away to regain some distance between himself and the enemy. They haven't been fighting for longer than a minute, but even the short amount of time was enough for the ex-Shinigami to notice that his enemy was not to be taken lightly and that if he wanted to survive this battle, holding back wasn't an option.

"I see you are starting to see reason, since you aren't attacking anymore. Since my mission was to capture Kuchiki Rukia, I shall show mercy and leave you be. If you excuse me, I have a Shinigami to take care of," he stated as he used sonido to get past. Ichigo intended to go after him, but he soon noticed that it wasn't needed, as something stopped the Arrancar from leaving. From the looks of it, it was a barrier.

Suddenly, Ichigo remembered the light that came out of his hand when he swung it. He wasn't really thinking about what he was doing then, but it seemed he had subconsciously put up a barrier around himself and the enemy, luckily (or maybe not so luckily) shutting Nel and Nigaru out of it. And if his feelings were correct, then it was the same kind of barrier Captain Soifon once used, when she came to Karakura looking for Toshiro*. This in turn meant he could go all out without having to worry about the inhabitants of Karakura being exposed to danger due to the extremely high and dense reiatsu he and the Hollow before him possessed.

"You won't be going anywhere as long as I'm here," he said as he regained his fighting pose. He didn't have to worry about hurting the spiritually unaware and he knew that he had to go all out if he were to win this fight. That was all he needed to know.

"So if I want to proceed, I need to kill you first," the Arrancar stated emotionlessly before sighing. "Very well, so be it. If it's your wish to die, Shinigami, I shall grant it," right after saying that, he disappeared in a buzz of Sonido and reappeared behind the carrot-top. Not having the time to bring his sword up, Ichigo instinctively blocked the upcoming blow with his arm, the sword connecting with the bracelet with a loud clang. Brown eyes widened a fraction when a crack appeared in the device and he quickly used shunpō to regain some distance. When he appeared a few meters away from his enemy, he surveyed the damage from the corner of his eye. The crack was small and not too deep yet, but Ichigo was certain that if the Arrancar hit that same spot again, the bracelet would break without a doubt.

"What's that bracelet you're wearing?" the Arrancar asked, his tone mildly interested. Ichigo eyed him wearily as he held his sword in one hand, while the other traveled to the bracelet in question.

"You're about to find out," the Hybrid replied calmly as he snapped the device open and let it fall to the grass, while the familiar black flame of reiatsu surrounded him for the second time since his return to Karakura. Only that this time, he held nothing back, which resulted in the flames being about thrice the size he allowed it to be in the Vizards training grounds. The golden eyes of the Arrancar widened a tiny bit. Apparently, he wasn't expecting Ichigo to have a trick such as this up his sleeve.

"So, this is your true power," the Hollow said as the flame slowly grew smaller and smaller until it vanished completely, flowing back into Ichigo's body. "Guess you aren't as weak as you let on, Shinigami," he added before gripping his sword tighter and actually taking a battle stance instead of the laid back pose he stood in up until now. Ichigo figured this meant that his opponent was getting serious… which in turn meant that he was toying with him up until now. Not something Ichigo was glad to realize.

"I am not a Shinigami," he said as he charged at his opponent, this time deciding to use sonido instead of shunpō. This caught the Arrancar slightly off guard, but not enough to make him leave an opening. Two swords clashed together again as Ichigo's blow was blocked. This time, though, the ground beneath the Arrancar actually broke, making a mini crater beneath him, proving just how much stronger Ichigo got when he didn't hold his reiatsu back.

The Hollow didn't seem impressed by his opponent's brute strength as he batted the blade aside like a fly before striking back himself. Unable to block the blow with his sword, Ichigo decided to take a chance and blocked the blade with his bare hand. He was actually surprised when he noticed that the blade didn't even leave a scratch on his palm, but his cowl hid that surprise from his opponent, who didn't seem fazed at all.

Ichigo used the fact that one of his hands was still free and tried to slash his opponent with the blade of his Zanpakutō. However, the Arrancar simply ducked, avoiding the blade, caught Ichigo's arm and threw the teen over his shoulder. Ichigo turned in mid air in the last moment, saving himself the pain of hitting the ground with his back and landed on his feet.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my blade can't cut you," the pale skinned Arrancar said stoically. "I guess you have enough spiritual pressure to make a hard enough shield around your body… like most Soul Reapers do," he added, completely ignoring Ichigo's earlier statement of not being one.

"**That, and we have one Hell of a Hierro,"** Tsuchiro snickered in his head, but Ichigo decided to ignore him. He needed to concentrate on the fight now.

"But no matter how hard your reiatsu shell, I'm going to break through it, Shinigami," the Arrancar continued as he disappeared yet again, this time reappearing above the redhead and trying to land a hit from above. Ichigo dove to the side and prepared to counter-attack; but he soon found out that he had no time to do so as the Hollow kept attacking him from every side and angle, forcing him onto the defensive.

'_His speed increased… was he still just testing me a second ago? Could it be that he still isn't fighting seriously?'_ the amber eyed boy wondered as he kept blocking and dodging the blows sent at him. It couldn't go on like this. If they kept it up, he was not going to last.

Narrowing his eyes, Ichigo slowly let one of his hands leave the handle of his sword as he kept blocking the never ending onslaught of the Hollow.

"So, that's your limit, Shinigami?" he finally asked, sounding rather bored. Ichigo clenched his teeth before responding as he sped up his movements as well. But as expected, the Hollow kept up easily, still not allowing him to counter attack.

"You wish," the Hybrid replied as he quickly unsheathed Demonio and swung it at his opponent, all whilst blocking the attacks. Almost caught off guard, the black haired Arrancar sprang backwards, avoiding being cut in the last second, allowing Ichigo to damage only the front of his clothing.

"You're full of surprises, Shinigami," the Hollow stated calmly. "Seeing as up until now you used both hands to wield your sword, I admit I was not expecting you to be able to fight with two, even though you carry two at your side. But if you thought that would surprise me enough to leave myself open, you were wrong. I was expecting you to have more tricks up your sleeve after that bracelet of yours. I admit, it makes me curious to know just how strong you really are. And believe me, curiosity isn't an emotion I feel often."

"You sure are talkative," was all Ichigo replied before he rushed at his opponent. As he expected, the attack he aimed with Zangetsu from the front was easily blocked. Smirking, Ichigo then jumped lightly making a small somersault. As he landed behind his opponent, he quickly turned around, trying to cut the Hollows back with Demonio. But all his blade met with, was the blade of his opponent. However, Zangetsu, who was following close and slightly below Demonio managed to slip past that defense. Had the Hollow stayed in place, it might have cut him. But it was in this precise moment that the Arrancar disappeared in a buzz of sonido so quick that Ichigo lost sight of him for a millisecond. Unable to tell where the next attack would come from, the orange haired hybrid quickly used shunpō to get a few meters away from the spot he originally stood at. It was a good thing he did, for had he not moved, the Arrancar would have cut his head of neatly and without a problem.

The Hollow looked at him calmly as he disappeared yet again, making Ichigo lose sight of him once more. His opponent was quick the half-Shinigami half-Hollow had to give him that.

Dodging another attack with the help of shunpō, Ichigo quickly decided that counter attacking would be the wisest choice. But he wasn't allowed to do it as his opponent disappeared _again_. He sure as Hell seemed to love to use sonido, Ichigo noticed.

'_This is getting old and I'm fed up with that trick,_' the amber eyed teen thought as he pointed his swords in opposite directions, right and left respectively, by extending his arms. Then, he started to turn around rapidly, using the move as a protection from all sides at once. And just as he hoped, soon he heard the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Not expecting the power gained by the speed of the rotation, the Hollow was thrown back a few feet, momentarily losing his balance, which Ichigo used to attack as he jumped at his opponent, intending to attack from above. But both of his blades were blocked by the Hollows single sword and Ichigo had to sonido away in order to avoid having the Hollows other, free hand impaled into his gut. He wasn't quick enough to escape complete damage, as he soon noticed: slowly blood started to flow from a small, punctual wound in his abdomen.

"You were lucky you dodged it. If you haven't, your insides would be out of your body right now, Shinigami," the Arrancar said calmly as it regained its fighting pose. Ichigo didn't respond, but his eyes narrowed under his cowl. He was now sure that his opponent was still holding back. And somehow, that thought did everything but reassure him.

"Any change?" Renji asked as they arrived at the park (albeit on the exact opposite side than where the fight took place), searching for the two Hollows they were after, but save for a few inhabitants of Karakura, the place was completely deserted. Not even a single dead soul was in sight. Rukia sighed.

"No, still nothing. And I can't feel anything either," she answered bitterly.

"There's no way these two Hollows… thought they got the wrong town and left, is there?" the redhead asked, not expecting an answer. And it was good he didn't, because all Rukia gave him as an answer was a simple snort, as if she wanted to say 'How stupid can you be?'.

Ichigo fell onto his back as he was pushed back by yet another attack. He had blocked it, but it held more strength than he expected it would and he was thrown back. He didn't allow himself to just lie there though and quickly rolled to the side to avoid another attack before standing up and regaining his fighting stance. His cloak was long gone, as he had to throw it off in order to avoid being burned by a point blank cero and his body was covered in multiple shallow cuts, the only quite serious injury being the now deepened wound in his abdomen, which kept bleeding profusely, making his vision lose its focus from time to time. He was panting.

"So that's it, huh? No more tricks? That all you got, Shinigami?" The Hollow asked. He was bearing a few cuts of his own, but nowhere near as many as Ichigo did, and contrary to the orange head, he wasn't out of breath. "Let's end this, Shinigami," he said as he charged another cero. Since Ichigo threw his cloak off, the Hollow had noticed the parts of his mask and was surprised to say the least. He had asked what Ichigo was, but the orange haired teen didn't give him an answer the other liked or accepted, so he still called him 'Shinigami'. 'A Hybrid' was all Ichigo had said.

The half-Shinigami half-Hollow narrowed his eyes as he prepared to dodge the cero once it fired. He still only barely managed to get out of the way, the power blast burning his shoulder.

'_I can't keep this up like forever,_' the ex-Shinigami thought as he quickly sheathed Demonio and took a stance pretending he wanted to do the same with Zangetsu. Only difference was that his Zanpakutō's sheath was on his back, not on his side.

"What are you doing, Shinigami?" the Hollow asked, but Ichigo ignored his question as he concentrated his power.

"Pierce through the heavens, slice through the skies…" he started.

"Whatever it is, I will not let you do it," the Arrancar said as he brought his hand up to his sword and made a shallow cut on it before redirecting it at Ichigo and charging another cero. Only this one was blue and definitely more powerful.

"Reach to the moon, then cut it in half," Ichigo continued, ignoring his opponent's threat.

"GRAN REY CERO!"

"ZANGETSU!" they yelled at the same time, a wave of spiritual pressure rushing towards the Hollow the second Ichigo's sword was released. The wave and the cero collided midway to their targets and a big explosion followed, the smoke hiding everything from view.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed both fighters standing opposite one another, glaring at each other in a staring contest. They weren't unscathed.

It seemed that a part of Ichigo's power-wave overcame the cero that was send at him. The Arrancar, apparently not expecting that something could overcome a Gran Rey Cero, hadn't completely dodged the attack, which resulted in a deep wound on his left shoulder. The wound was deep enough to reach his collarbone.

But Ichigo didn't come out of that explosion unharmed either. Whatever small part of the cero that came through had pierced his chest, missing his heart and lung by mere inches, but had sliced right through his body. The Arrancar smirked at that sight.

"You can't fight with those injuries, Shinigami," the Hollow said, walking slowly towards Ichigo; raising his sword with his good arm. "But I congratulate you, for being able to injure me as you did. You were the first in a very long time to come this far. But it's over now."

He swung his sword down, intending to end Ichigo's life with a clear slice to the head, but his blade only met that of Demonio, which Ichigo had unsheathed again shortly after releasing his sword. The Arrancar's eyes widened when he saw the cleaver-like sword being raised and blue energy slowly gathering around it in dangerous looking sparks.

"You're right, it is over. But you're the one who's going to go down, Arrancar," Ichigo replied as he tightened his grip on the bandaged hilt.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" he yelled as he swung the blade down, firing the attack point blank before it raced away from him and crashed against the barrier, like many other attacks did before, without leaving a scratch. But as Ichigo soon found out, his attack missed, for the Hollow had used sonido to get away. He wasn't quick enough to escape all damage; the burn on his chest was proof of that, but he was quick enough to escape most of it. Ichigo cursed under his breath as he felt his feet sway beneath him. His injuries were apparently more serious than he thought they were.

"I guess I should have expected that after that reiatsu wave coming from you when simply releasing your sword. But that last attempt did not save you, and now nothing will. This is your end, Shinigami," the Arrancar said and charged. However, his blade met nothing but air as Ichigo sonido-ed out of the way. The Arrancar turned around to where he reappeared and would have charged again, if not for the small tornado of reiatsu flowing into his opponent. Once it vanished, Ichigo stood before him firmly as if nothing were wrong. Most of his most serious injuries seemed to have evaporated into thin air. The Hollow narrowed his eyes.

"High-Speed Regeneration," he said simply. Ichigo didn't say anything as he calmed his breath before charging his opponent again. The sound of metal clashing against metal was once again heard inside the barrier.

"I guess holding back really isn't an option with you, Shinigami. You're far stronger than you let on," the Arrancar said as he reached to the back of his head, taking out one of his clamps before buckling it on his blade. As soon as he did, it started glowing with a bright green light, almost blinding the orange haired teen. The next attack, luckily blocked by two blades instead of one, sent Ichigo flying backwards. The teen only barely managed to turn in mid air and land on his feet instead of hitting the ground with his cervix. His eyes widened. Had he blocked with just one sword, he wouldn't be surprised if his opponent's blade had cut right through his own.

"What is it that you did with your sword?" Ichigo asked warily, not letting his guard down. The fight had just been taken to an even higher level. The Arrancar stared at him with boredom in his eyes before opening his mouth.

"Since you're about to die, I might as well tell you," he said, looking Ichigo straight in the eye, golden clashing against amber in a quiet stare-down contest. "Judging from your strength, you must have fought in the war between Shinigami and Hollows one year ago. Then let me use that as reference. You see, the Hollows you fought then, the Espada as you called them… Compared to us, the Aniquilador**, they were nothing.

"We have more than just the Zanpakutō and Resurrección to fight with. Right now, I'm not even using the half of my full power," Ichigo's eyes widened at that. Of course, he could suspect that the Arrancar… no, Aniquilador as he called himself, was bluffing. But something deep inside him told the orange haired hybrid that the other man was telling the truth. If that was the case, he needed help. Immediately. Either that, or he needed to go Bankai, whichever seemed cleverer. One thing was for sure, he couldn't take this guy on with just his Shikai.

"What you see here," the Hollow's voice brought him back to reality, "is not even my real sword. It's a nameless katana, much like the ones you untrained Shinigami wield before obtaining your Zanpakutō. As such, we cannot channel more than one tenth of our power through them without destroying them. But we have tools which allow us to channel more power into our swords without destroying them, making them stronger and sometimes even changing their form entirely. In my case, that would be the clamps you saw me buckle near the hilt. It allows me to fight at one fourth of my true strength."

Ichigo gulped, but forced himself to conceal the fright he felt inside. Last time he tried something as stupid as fighting an opponent whose strength terrified him was during the War, when he fought Ulquiorra. But he didn't back down then and he would not back down now.

"If I were to bring forth my real blade, I would use one half of my power. If I were to use the other half as well, and thus fight at full strength, I would have to release it, using my Resurrección. But you won't get to see either of the two. Because for you, this is it, Shinigami."

And then, he charged. Ichigo didn't even see him, move. He only felt the pain of metal cutting through his flesh as the other's sword cut deeply into his side. Cursing, Ichigo sonido-ed away, avoiding further damage. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and blocked another blow, this time aimed at his throat, in the very last second. But he failed to see his opponent's free hand, allowing it to pierce his abdomen, before unceremoniously throwing him to the side. He hit the ground hard, bouncing off of it a few times before his back hit a tree, stopping his 'flight'. Coughing up blood, Ichigo shakily forced himself to his knees, then to his feet as another wave of power from his surroundings entered his body, High-Speed Regeneration closing the wound in his abdomen. His side stayed unhealed though.

"You're persistent, Shinigami. Don't you see that fighting is futile? You cannot win," the Arrancar said, but Ichigo ignored him as he crossed his swords in front of him. He would not win if he fought alone. He needed help, and seeing as Nel and Nigaru were outside the barrier, there was only one person he could ask for help.

"Hakkei! Saa, Tsuchiro," the amber eyed Hybrid cried as he swung his swords to the side. The familiar maniacal laughter was heard almost immediately after the bright explosion of light that was Tsuchiro's exit from Ichigo's Inner World as something white rushed at the Arrancar.

The surprised Aniquilador parried the blow and tried to cut the nuisance in front of him down, but he only cut through air as the white something vanished from sight and reappeared next to Ichigo, whose side by then had healed.

"I was wondering when you'd call me out, King," Tsuchiro said with a smirk on his face. "I was getting impatient, you know."

"I need your help, Tsuchiro," Ichigo answered simply, to which his alter ego only nodded.

"I figured you would, seeing how he was kicking your ass just now, King," the Hollow mocked as he took a fighting stance, Ichigo doing the same next to him.

"Be careful. He's strong and quick. Don't drop your guard," the Hybrid said, earning an annoyed 'tch' from his counterpart.

"Who do you think you're talking to, King?" Shirosaki asked rhetorically before they both charged at their opponent.

Ishida, Chad and Inoue stopped in front of a clearing in the park. The auburn haired girl recognized the place only too well. It was the exact spot where she and Chad had fought Yammy and Ulquiorra for the first time and almost died trying. They probably would have perished, if Ichigo hadn't arrived when he did.

The weird thing was, the clearing was empty, while the auburn haired girl was more than certain that she had felt her orange haired friend's reiatsu coming from right here.

"This is where he should be," she said quietly, replying to Chad's and Uryū's unasked question. "I can feel him here… but he's not here. I don't understand…" she whispered. Ishida laid a hand on her shoulder as he stood next to her.

"I feel him too now. He can't be far off. Let's continue on. I'm sure we'll find him soon," he said, trying to reassure the young healer beside him. She flashed him a smile before moving on… only to stop one step later, her hand outstretched in front of her, her grey eyes wide. The Quincy didn't need to ask what surprised her so much though, for he walked into the reason himself and was now trying to figure out what exactly it was by feeling the reiatsu around it.

"It's some kind of barrier," Ishida said after a while, looking at Chad and Inoue. The grey eyed girl nodded in understanding before looking back to the inaccessible clearing.

"Kurosaki-kun must be inside it," she said quietly.

"He is," a new, childish voice said, joining the conversation. The three teenagers looked to their left and saw a young girl with green hair. A boy not much older than themselves, with brown hair stood beside her. The three teens had no problem identifying the child, and as such they had a good guess who the boy beside her was. It must be Ichigo's gigai, occupied by a Soul Candy or something like that.

"Nel-chan," Orihime said in wonder. She hadn't expected to see the young Arrancar here. Up until now, when she met Ichigo, he was on his own most of the time, so she had thought he had been alone all this time.

The former Tercera Espada nodded in acknowledgement at the young girl, also giving a court nod to the Human and Quincy she remembered were with Ichigo when she first met him.

"Who put this barrier up, Nel-chan? And what for?" Orihime asked. Nel's expression fell suddenly and the auburn haired healer had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

"Itsygo did… so that he could fight that other guy without having to worry about the rest of the town. Nel suspects Itsygo is going to go all out this time around. And if that's the case, the barrier was put up so that Itsygo's reiatsu wouldn't harm the living… even those who aren't spiritually aware," the young Arrancar replied, laying her hand on the barrier in front of her. If she were inside, she wouldn't have still been in her gigai. She would have gotten out and changed into her adult form, so that she could fight at Ichigo's side. But being outside, she couldn't. It would alert the Soul Reapers of where she was and lead them here, which had to be avoided. Because somehow, the former Tercera had the feeling that once this barrier vanished, Ichigo would need help rather than another fight.

"So he closed himself off inside that thing to fight alone? What an idiot," Ishida cursed, punching the barrier. "He's acting like he doesn't trust us enough to help him."

"It's not that," Nel answered calmly. "Itsygo just had no time to wait for anyone to come. Had Nel and Itsygo waited, the other Hollow would have left. Itsygo had to step in immediately and stop him. There was no time to wait," the Tercera explained. But Ishida didn't look convinced.

"You don't know if he would leave or not. And if he left, it would probably be better."

"It wouldn't! He would leave to look for the person he came looking for! And Itsygo didn't want him to find her!" Nel exploded at the dense Quincy. Didn't he understand that if Ichigo hadn't done what he did, the Hollow would have been all over Rukia right now, and would already have killed her or would have done whatever it was that he wanted to do with her or would have taken whatever he wanted from her?

"This Hollow is after someone?" It was the first time Chad had actually said something during the whole conversation. Neliel's eyes widened. She couldn't believe that there could have been the possibility of Ichigo's friends not knowing even a tiny bit of what was going on.

"You mean, you don't know?" the young girl asked, receiving three nods in return. She sighed. "Nel and Itsygo suspect the Hollows are after Rukia," she said quietly. Three pairs of eyes widened when Ichigo's friends heard her say that.

"A-After Kuchiki-san?" Inoue asked with disbelief in her eyes. "But why?"

"Nel doesn't know," the young Arrancar replied regretfully. "But Nel hopes Itsygo will find out while fighting this opponent," she added.

"What can we do to help?" Orihime asked hopefully. She wanted to help Ichigo. She didn't want him to fight on his own. There must be something she can do to help.

However, Neliel's answer crushed her hopes.

"Nel and Itsygo's friends can do nothing but stay here and wait for Itsygo to finish the battle," the green haired girl said sadly.

"Tsukinowa Sora o Kiru!" Ichigo yelled as he threw the ring of condensed reiatsu at his and Tsuchiro's opponent.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" his other self joined him, sending the attack from another angle. The two attacks collided as they hit their mark and Tsuchiro shunpō-ed beside his King.

"You think we got him?" Ichigo asked, trying to calm his breath. During the fight, he was cut a few more times by his opponents blade, but it were only shallow cuts that were still visible on his body, for all his more serious injuries have been cured by his regenerating abilities. If not for them, the amber eyed Hybrid was quite sure he would be dead by now.

"Don't know, King," Tsuchiro replied evenly. Contrary to his King, he was still in top form, not even slightly out of breath and he didn't have a single scratch on him. That was probably due to the fact that the Aniquilador concentrated his attacks on Ichigo, as if knowing that by killing him, he would get rid of the 'white nuisance' (as he described Tsuchiro) as well. Needless to say, the nickname did more than just piss Ichigo's mirror image off.

"Did you really think I would fall for that?" a deep voice asked behind them. Instinctively, Ichigo jumped to the side, just in time to avoid the blade surrounded by the green reiatsu, which was trying to cut him in half.

Shirosaki wasn't as lucky though. Not expecting to be attacked himself, he let his guard down and only barely managed to avoid the sword directed right at his abdomen. He was quick enough to avoid the metal, but the reiatsu prolonging the sword of a good two inches managed to penetrate his skin… only to pass through and not leave any mark at all.

"What the Hell?" the Arrancar asked bewildered and Tsuchiro smirked when he noticed that it was impossible to injure him. But his grin was quickly whipped off his face when Ichigo suddenly fell to one knee, dropping Zangetsu to the ground, holding his hand to his stomach in the same place Tsuchiro had just been cut, blood flowing between his fingers. The Arrancar smirked at the sight.

"I see," he said, turning to Tsuchiro. "So any injury you receive goes to him. I wonder… if I were to cut off your head, would it be his that'd be actually rolling?" he asked as he charged at the black and white image of Ichigo.

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo reached for his Zanpakutō before throwing it at his counterpart. Tsuchiro caught it effortlessly before making some distance between himself and the Arrancar. Then, he started to spin both the Zanpakutō by the bandages around the hilts and started his long range assault.

Ichigo clenched his fists as he watched the battle from below. He wanted to join his other self, but with the wound he received, it was as good as impossible to move. He had to wait until High-Speed Regeneration cured him.

That was the only drawback of his regenerating abilities, Ichigo noticed. Unlike Instant Regeneration, which, like its name said, activated instantly upon receiving an injury, High-Speed Regeneration needed time before it actually activated. Then again, Instant Regeneration took longer to heal an injury than High-Speed Regeneration did. Ichigo noticed that much from his fight against some of the Hollows with that ability.***

However, when he noticed the Arrancar had batted both of Tsuchiro's attacks to the side as if they were flies, which left his other self wide open, and charged, Ichigo moved, despite his body screaming at him in protest.

"Bakudō thirty-nine! Enkosen!" he yelled as he appeared in front of his other self after using sonido. Just as the barrier appeared in front of Demonio, their opponents sword crashed against it, pushing Ichigo back a few inches before the orange haired teen steadied his stance and stood his ground again. Sudden pain shot through his body from his still unhealed wound, but he tried to ignore it as he measured his strength with that of his opponent.

"I'm impressed you can still move with that wound, much less withstand my attack," the Aniquilador said calmly as Ichigo gritted his teeth more, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach. The wound was deeper than he thought. Much deeper.

As Ichigo's hands started to shake from the strain of his sword, the Arrancar suddenly disappeared in a buzz of sonido just as a white Zangetsu flew through the air where he stood moments later. Apparently, Tsuchiro had used the fact that the Arrancar was distracted by his King to shunpō to the left and attack from there before reappearing next to Ichigo again, just as the orange haired teen fell to his knees again.

"Thanks for the help, King," Tsuchiro admitted bitterly and Ichigo was certain he didn't like the thought of being saved, even if it was by the one of his friends, not to mention his King.

"Thank you too," Ichigo replied evenly, although he wasn't happy himself that his inner Hollow needed to save him. It was undeniable that if Tsuchiro hadn't intervened when he did, the Hybrid wouldn't have stood against the Arrancar, though.

Ichigo slowly forced himself to his feet as the wound finally closed up and readjusted his hold on Demonio. He didn't need to tell his Hollow to be more careful from now on. Tsuchiro had already figured it out on his own that if he wasn't careful, his King was going to pay the price for it.

They charged together, but the Arrancar stopped both their blades without a problem. He then swung his free hand at Ichigo, but the orange head was expecting it and caught his hand before it got too close.

Using their opponent's momentary inability to move, Tsuchiro fired another point blank Getsuga Tenshō, and the two of them quickly shunpō-ed away before the explosion could engulf them too.

To their surprise, a blue cero was fired at them out of the black cloud of smoke. It was a Gran Rey Cero again, Ichigo noticed.

The orange haired teen avoided most of the attack and turned to see how Tsuchiro was doing, only to feel as if a sword had just cut his back. He quickly turned around, but there was no one behind him. But even though their opponent was apparently nowhere near him, it didn't stop another slash from appearing across his chest.

Cursing, the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid raised his head and saw Tsuchiro above him, the Arrancar only a few meters in front of his counterpart, slashing furiously, while Shirosaki deflected every blow and countered with his second blade. Some of the attacks got through his defense none the less, which Ichigo felt on his own body.

The amber eyed teen decided to use the distraction his other self was making and sonido-ed behind the Arrancar, making sure that Tsuchiro saw what he was about to do. If his other self got caught in this technique, it would be anything but good, especially since Ichigo wasn't quite sure if he would be able to control it yet. He had to try, though, he told himself as he raised his hand in front of him, ignoring the pain in his arm as yet another slash appeared there seemingly out of nowhere. Shirosaki seriously needed to improve his defensive skills. Just because he didn't care about his own body when he was in control didn't mean Ichigo could withstand the same amount of injuries his other self could. He wasn't a Hollow completely; he didn't act only on instinct and as such, he wasn't as numb to pain, nor did he enjoy feeling it as much as his alter ego did, even if he enjoyed fighting to the exact same degree.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ichigo focussed on the task at hand and concentrated some of his reiatsu in his palms. He didn't need to cut himself in order for his technique to work, since his hands were already smeared with his blood thanks to the previous injuries he received.

The Hybrid closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to copy the way his Hollow had channeled the reishi around him into his hands back during the war, all while figuring out the difference between that move and the one he was trying to perform now. But when he opened his eyes, nothing was there and the amber eyed boy frowned, not understanding. He was sure he did it right. So why didn't it work?

"_**Your powers aren't complete, Ichigo. And incomplete, you can't use this technique, nor the weaker version of it,"**_ the Hybrid heard Zangetsu in his head and cursed, deciding to use kidō instead.

'_What do you mean, my powers are incomplete?'_ Ichigo asked after he fired a Sōren Sōkatsui at the Arrancar in front of him. The attack hit its mark and Ichigo gripped Demonio harder, expecting a counter attack. Instead, it was his own Zanpakutō that flew at him. Smirking, Ichigo caught the sword effortlessly before spinning it above his head. He concentrated his energy before grabbing the hilt again and sending the attack to his right, where he just saw the Arrancar reappear.

"Tsukinowa Sekkai No Sora!" he yelled again as the ring rushed at its target. To Ichigo's surprise, the Aniquilador simply threw his now loose hair (apparently Ichigo's kidō had done nothing more than ruin his hairstyle) behind his shoulder before extending his hand in front of him. It glowed green, a shield of reiatsu surrounding it like a glove shortly before the attack collided.

Amber eyes widened when he saw his attack get _caught_ and simply _thrown to the side_ like a ball before it collided with a few trees, cutting through them before exploding. Ichigo hissed as suddenly his right arm exploded in pain as if it was burned. Tsuchiro must have been in that area, which explained why the Arrancar threw it there of all places.

"Is it just me, or is he still getting faster and stronger?" Ichigo's mirror image asked as he reappeared next to the orange head. The Aniquilador, having heard his question, only laughed.

"No, I'm still at one fourth of my power," he said between his laughter. "It is you two who are getting slower and weaker, hitonakase howaido(4)," the Arrancar stated simply. Infuriated by the nickname, Shirosaki charged, ignoring Ichigo's yells to stop. The Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid had a bad feeling about attacking now. His fears were proven right as the Hollow vanished in a buzz of sonido and reappeared behind Tsuchiro, grabbing both of his hands in one of his to make sure he would not get away, nor counter. Ichigo's eyes widened when he noticed what the Arrancar was about to do.

Forcing his injured body to move, Ichigo quickly sonido-ed in front of his other self and raised his sword.

"Kaeru, Tsuchiro!" he called as he swung his sword down. At the exact moment his Inner Hollow turned to white dust, the Arrancars sword cut the air where Tsuchiro's neck had just been. If Ichigo hadn't acted when he did, he would be dead by now, and his head would be rolling on the grass below them.

"That was some nice, quick thinking, Shinigami," the Arrancar said as Ichigo used sonido to gain some distance between the two of them. Shirosaki kept yelling something at him from inside of his mind, but Ichigo didn't listen. Soon enough, Tsuchiro was silenced, most likely by Zangetsu.

Ichigo inhaled and exhaled slowly as his injuries healed yet again thanks to High-Speed Regeneration. He didn't believe what the Arrancar had said. He doubted he had become slower or weaker in the time they fought. In all the time he had fought, including the war, that had only happened once, during his fight with Byakuya. And even then, it was because his own spiritual power, condensed by his Bankai, was slowing him down until he understood how to use it properly. If the Arrancar said what he did, it was most likely to provoke Tsuchiro into attacking. Unfortunately it worked, as much as Ichigo hated to admit it.

"Why don't you give up, Shinigami? Can't you see there's no way you can win?" the Hollow asked him and Ichigo only smirked in return.

"Are you sure you should say that if you haven't seen my full power yet?" he asked back as he sheathed Demonio and his reiatsu started to flare around him. The Arrancar's eyes narrowed as Ichigo's shihakusho started fluttering slightly in the wind created by his own spiritual power. Ichigo then raised his sword in front of him and placed his other hand on his elbow before uttering one single word.

"Bankai."

Renji cursed under his breath as they slowly made their way out of the park. They had tried to locate the two Hollows they had felt this morning, but they had no luck. The Soul pager didn't pick up any readings either. It was more than strange, but more than anything, it was infuriating, especially since the two Vice Captains had a feeling both Hollows weren't far off. The only problem being that they were nowhere in sight, or nowhere to be felt for that matter.

"Do you think Inoue and the others were hiding something?" Rukia asked all of a sudden, referring to the run-in she and Renji had with Chad, Inoue and Ishida a few minutes ago. Nel and Nigaru had hidden when the two Soul Reapers approached the group. The teens were wondering whether to tell their friends the truth about the barrier they were sort of guarding, since, by whatever miracle, neither fukutaichō seemed to notice it.

Inoue was even about to spill the beans when she had remembered that Ichigo had not wanted the Soul Reapers, especially Rukia, to know he was alive. The auburn haired healer still didn't understand why he wouldn't want that, but she had promised Kurosaki that she wouldn't tell Rukia or any other Death God the truth, so she stayed silent, for she couldn't think of a way to reveal the barrier right next to them, without revealing the fact that the hot headed, orange haired teen was fighting inside it.

So in the end, the three teenagers reached a silent agreement to not say anything. Both Renji and Rukia had bought their blatant lie and had left, but the raven haired girl couldn't help the feeling that her (and Ichigo's) friends were hiding something from her.

Renji stared at his companion for a moment before responding.

"I don't think they did. I mean, why would they? If they had seen any Hollows, they would surely fight them. Especially Ishida and Chad. They won't admit it, but Ichigo's demise hit them hard. I have the feeling they want to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. It's almost like they want to replace him as the protectors of Karakura," Renji replied, but his tone was far from joking. These were his true thoughts on the two boys. They were really fired up and ready to fight at the smallest alert. Inoue was always with them, wanting to make sure they'd be fine and Renji had a feeling that after the war had ended, she had decided that from then on, even if her greatest strength was not fighting but healing, she would make a difference.

He would never admit it aloud, but the sixth division fukutaichō silently admired the three humans for their ability to stand up with their heads high after a blow to their souls such as death of a very close friend, as well as their ability to move on, with only the decision not to let this happen again in their hearts. They didn't dwell in the past, didn't drown in sorrow. They just moved on, never forgetting their friend and the sacrifice he made to protect them all.

Not every Shinigami was able to do such a thing, Renji noted. He learned _that_ at the Academy, even before he joined the Gotei Thirteen, when during a training session with dummy-Hollows in the World of the Living, Aizen managed to get real Hollows inside the barrier. Many students had died then before the Captain himself arrived to their 'rescue' and many of those who survived decided to drop their dreams of becoming Soul Reapers after losing close friends or after looking death in the eye. Renji, Momo, Kira and Rukia weren't like that, of course, but Renji admitted that he had felt a bit afraid to pursue his dream at first. He only did because Rukia was already adopted into the Kuchiki clan, and since his goal was to surpass Kuchiki Byakuya in order to be worthy of looking her in the eyes again. He couldn't allow himself to back down because of that. Still, he was a little scared at first. But Ichigo's friends… they seemed to fear nothing at all, not even death. The only thing they didn't stand to think about was losing someone close to them because of their inability to fight, and because of that, they kept fighting and becoming stronger, so that this fear would not become reality. It was an attitude Renji truly admired.

"Earth to Renji! Are you even listening to me you stupid idiot?" Rukia yelled at him as she slapped him across the head to get his attention and pull him out of his thoughts. The redhead cleared his throat before responding.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a bit there. What did you say?" he asked. Rukia glared at him before huffing in annoyance.

"I said that you are probably right… but didn't you have the feeling like there was something happening right next to us, even though the park was peaceful as ever? I mean, sure, nothing seemed wrong… but I just got the feeling like there was something nearby. Something we weren't able to see, but something we _should have_ seen. I can't quite describe it but... I feel like I turned my back on someone who needed my help. As if I had left a friend in danger," the raven haired girl admitted. Renji shot her a bewildered look before messing with her hair.

"You're worrying too much. There was nothing there, you saw and felt it yourself. And I'm sure that if something were there, we would have at least been able to feel it, especially if it was something as huge as a fight. It seems to me that's what you tried to find there in the empty air," he said and allowed himself a quiet chuckle. Rukia smiled at him in response. But she kept the fact that she had felt something like a ghost of a familiar reiatsu to herself. It was probably just her imagination anyway. The ghost-like reiatsu was too weak to be real, much less to belong to a living (or dead) being.

"Yeah… you're probably right," she said. Renji looked away, glancing back towards the park when she wasn't looking. He didn't dare to tell her, but he had felt the exact same way… and it was not a feeling he liked.

Ichigo blocked yet another attack before using shunpō to run around his opponent fast enough to create multiple after-images of himself. As the Arrancar tried to locate the real him, Ichigo used the short opening he got to fire a black Getsuga at the Aniquilador before shunpō-ing off yet again. The attack hit its mark once more, leaving a third burn mark along with a third middle-deep cut on the back of the Arrancar to join the other two he had managed to make since activating his final release of his Shinigami Zanpakutō.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the Arrancar sonido-ed out of the circle Ichigo tried to keep him in and fired a cero in its general direction. An explosion followed, signifying that the attack collided with something and soon enough a black figure jumped out of the cloud of smoke that formed from said explosion. The Hollow prepared to fire another cero, but was not allowed to as a black Moon's Ring made its way towards him.

Not bothering to dodge, the Arrancar simply blocked the attack with his sword. His eyes widened slightly, however, as the attack persisted until small cracks appeared on the nameless katana, threatening to snap it in two. Before the Arrancar could as much as think of sonido-ing out of the way, the sword broke and the spinning mass of reiatsu slammed into his chest, pushing him towards the ground and exploding once he hit it. Ichigo stood above him with narrowed eyes, waiting for his opponent to come back up, since he doubted one Moon's Ring was enough to finish the fight.

True to his thoughts, a buzz of sonido behind him notified him that his opponent was trying to catch him off guard. Since Ichigo's Bankai increased not only his strength, but also his speed greatly, especially since he became a Hybrid, (now, with Bankai released, he was at the same level he was at during the war in Bankai form and with his mask on) he managed to avoid the attack almost effortlessly.

As he backed up to regain more distance between himself and the Arrancar, Ichigo tried to channel his energy into his palm once more, this time actually having to cut himself before trying. A blue orb slowly formed in his outstretched hand and grew gradually bigger. It was only then that Ichigo understood what Zangetsu meant when he said that his powers were incomplete. It was because Tsuchiro was out. When his Inner Hollow wasn't inside his body, all his Hollow powers except for High-Speed Regeneration were cut off. There was a chance Tsuchiro could use them, but Ichigo couldn't be sure.

Throwing these thoughts aside for now, Ichigo concentrated on the reiatsu he was gathering in his palm before he fired the blue beam downward, where he saw the Arrancar moving, even though the other was using sonido. As expected, the Arrancar 'reappeared' right in the way of the blow.

"I'll show you a real cero," Ichigo murmured to himself before increasing the power of the blow still. "Gran Rey Cero!"

The beam of energy engulfed the Arrancar and hit the ground before exploding, but Ichigo paid no mind to it as he ducked to avoid the Arrancar's horizontal slash with the remains of his blade at his head. He wasn't surprised the Arrancar tried to attack. He had seen him move out of the way of the cero before sonido-ing behind the Hybrid.

As the now two-inch-long, broken blade cut the air, Ichigo quickly whirled around, delivering a sideways kick to the Arrancar's thigh, sending him flying a few feet before he regained his stance. As soon as he stood up though, the Hollow only laughed.

"I don't know what you truly are," he said with an insane smile on his face. Ichigo recognized that smile. It was the same smirk he saw Grimmjow and Kenpachi wear when they deemed him worthy of a real fight. It was when they deemed him powerful enough to bother going all out. But somehow, seeing that grin on the Hollows face sent shivers down his spine, even though he felt excited himself.

"Maybe you're a Shinigami, maybe a Hollow or maybe a Hybrid like you said you are. I don't truly care. It doesn't matter," he said as he laughed again, his laugh filling with madness as it continued to ring in Ichigo's ears. It sounded as if the Hollow before him was getting drunk with excitement, blood-lust and the will to fight he was feeling.

Slowly, the Arrancar sheathed his sword and untied the sheath from his belt before throwing it in the air. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the Hollow stretched his hand out as if awaiting the sheathed sword-remains to fall back into his hand. To the Hybrids surprise though, it wasn't a sheathed sword that the Aniquilador caught again. It was a middle-long Shinken(5), the hilt of which was completely black like the owners hair, with about four big diamonds glistening in the light that were carved into the hilt. As for the blade, it was crimson red, reflecting the sun light beautifully. Looking at it made Ichigo think of a blade made of crystallized blood, for that was exactly what it looked like it was made of.

The way the sword shone in the light made the orange head wary. That glint was more than a warning to him, because it clearly said that one shouldn't let his guard down when he saw it, for the sword was without a doubt just as deadly as it was beautiful.

"You should be proud, Shinigami," the Arrancar said. "You're the first one to ever see my true sword, even if it is not released. That alone is an accomplishment."

Ichigo didn't respond as he tightened the hold on his sword. If what the Aniquilador said before was true, the fight would just become harder from now on. He couldn't allow himself to let his guard down.

"Tell me your name, Shinigami, so that I know the name of the first person to see my real blade," the Arrancar said calmly. Ichigo hesitated only a split second before responding. He had no reason to lie, especially since it would mean he looked down in his opponent, not even allowing him to know his real name. And that was far from the truth, for he saw the Arrancar as an equal at least.

"Former Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo," he replied calmly and waited for the other to tell him his own name. The Arrancar smiled slightly as he raised his sword and took a fighting stance.

"Aniquilador de las memorias, Hotairu Gienzo(6)," the Arrancar replied. "The one who is going to kill you, Kurosaki Ichigo," as soon as he finished speaking, Gienzo disappeared in another buzz of sonido. Ichigo's eyes widened as he turned around to block the thrust aimed right at his heart in the last moment. He was not quick enough to dodge the kick that was aimed at the lower part of his stomach though, and was sent flying.

When he finally managed to stop himself by holding onto the reishi in the air, Ichigo looked up, only to see that his opponent was no longer where he was a second ago. Following his instincts, Ichigo rolled to the side as he felt a blade cut deeply into his shoulder. It was clear the slash was aimed at his throat though.

As he stood up, he immediately used shunpō to lay some distance between himself and the Aniquilador before him, gaining another deep wound on his side.

'_I can't keep up with him,'_ the orange haired Hybrid thought frantically as he tried to avoid another attack aimed at his throat, succeeding only thanks to his strength, as Zangetsu clashed with the bloody red blade of his opponent, hitting it off course.

'_I can hardly see him move,'_ he noticed as another good use of flash step saved his life by an inch. Gienzo had gotten remarkably faster and stronger just by calling forth his real blade, of that there was no doubt. It was almost like a Soul Reaper's powers increasing when he released his Shikai, only on a much bigger scale. And the Arrancar had yet to say his swords name, had yet to release his Resurrección…

It didn't look good, Ichigo knew that much. It didn't take him long to figure out that if he wanted to even stand a chance, he needed to use his last 'trick' as Gienzo liked to call them. He needed to release Demonio.

With that thought in mind, the Hybrid reached for the Ōdachi at his side that was Demonio. But he only had time to draw it before he was forced to block yet another blow straight from above from the Espada he was fighting. Ichigo's knees buckled under him when he felt the force behind the blow and the orange haired teen gritted his teeth as he did his best not to give way.

"Yes, draw your second sword, Kurosaki," the Arrancar lectured him calmly as he slowly increased the pressure on his sword, slowly pushing the Hybrid to the ground. "You shall need it and who knows, maybe it will allow you to survive a little longer."

Ichigo didn't respond, deciding to instead use sonido to get away from beneath the Aniquilador. But as soon as he reappeared again, Gienzo was next to him, swinging his blade at his neck. Ichigo blocked the blow and tried to counter with Demonio, but his blade met only air as the Hollow before him simply ducked before hitting him hard in the ribs. The orange haired teen was thrown back yet again, flying through a couple of trees that broke when he hit them, finally stopping as his back hit the barrier he himself had put up.

He grunted in pain as he felt one or two ribs break from the impact, but didn't allow himself to stay in one spot for too long. He rolled away and stood up, just in time to see a gigantic Cero hit the barrier in the exact spot he had been a moment ago.

The ex-Shinigami cursed under his breath. He needed to release Demonio if he wanted to win, that much was certain. But in order to do that he needed time. Time he didn't have. Time his opponent surely wouldn't give him.

His thoughts were proven right as the Hollow appeared right before him again and thrust his sword at his chest. This time, Ichigo used Demonio to block and before the other could kick him again, he swung Zangetsu in Gienzo's direction, firing at point blank range.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" he called as the attack exploded right in front of him and in the face of his opponent. The force of the blast slammed Ichigo into the barrier again, leaving a few nasty burns on his chest and face. But at least, as Ichigo soon found out, his opponent didn't come out of the attack unscratched himself. A quite deep looking wound was now adorning the Hollows chest, adding itself to the other injuries Ichigo had already inflicted on him. Yet Gienzo didn't seem to be even fazed by it. He was still smirking and if the glint in his eyes was anything to go by, he was actually _pleased_ with Ichigo. He laughed.

"I must congratulate you, for managing to cut me again, Kurosaki. You sure are powerful, I'll give you that," he said before his expression became serious. "But it's time to end this," he added in a grave tone and disappeared in a buzz of sonido, vanishing from Ichigo's sight, which explained why the Hybrid didn't have time to react as a sword was impaled into his gut. He bit back a scream as the blade was twisted inside of him, furthering the damage before he swung his blades at the Arrancar. But both Zangetsu and Demonio cut through nothing but air as his opponent disappeared again, forcefully removing his own blade from his body.

Ichigo grunted as he swayed on his feet, but forced himself to regain his balance. If he had the time, he would have released Demonio, but as it was, he found himself blocking another hit directed at his throat. As he soon realized, it was with his bare hand that Gienzo attacked him.

Still, Ichigo was too slow to stop the vertical slash that cut through his arm as he tried to shunpō out of the way and into the air, at least managing to save his chest from being cut through. He couldn't keep up with the Arrancar. He couldn't even see him move, let alone predict what he was going to do next.

His eyes widened when Gienzo suddenly appeared above him again, delivering a hard kick to his back that sent him back to the ground. He crashed into the hard earth, feeling a few other bones crack from the impact. As he tried to stand back up, he felt sudden heat approach him and when he looked up, he saw a Cero rushing straight at him.

Rolling to the side, the orange haired teen barely avoided a direct hit, but the force of the explosion created by the collision of the attack with the ground threw him to the side, making him crash into some trees again and knocked his swords out of his hands. As he slid to the ground, he tried to shake his head to make his suddenly blurry vision clearer.

As soon as he could focus again, he saw the Arrancar standing above him with his sword raised. As the crimson blade was swung down, the Hybrid outstretched his hand and stopped the blade with his bare palm, ignoring the pain that shot through him as the metal cut his flesh, and forced the sword towards the ground, which in turn made the Arrancar bow down. This, Ichigo used to deliver a powerful kick to his opponent's chin, making the Hollow see stars, before he shunpō-ed away and grabbed his Hollow sword. Gienzo recovered quickly from the dizziness that overcame him for a while due to Ichigo's kick and swiftly pointed his sword at the ex-Shinigami, who by then had recovered both his blades.

"El Olvido(7)," he whispered as red sparks appeared around his blade before two red thunderbolts flew straight at the Hybrid, one up front, the other from the left.

Jumping swiftly to the side, Ichigo avoided both bolts, but to his biggest surprise, once they collided with each other in the exact spot he was just crouching at, they formed a small ball of red, shining energy. Said ball flew right at him faster than he could even blink. Next thing he knew, his world exploded in a wave of red colored pain. It felt as if thunder was running right through his body, while at the same time flames were licking at his skin. He had never experienced such intense pain before and he couldn't hold the scream that escaped his lips. Then, an explosion followed and he collapsed, a pool of blood quickly forming under him.

Gienzo slowly started to approach the unmoving figure that lay in front of him.

"El Olvido never misses. If you dodge, it will condense its power and double its speed, chasing after you until it hits. If you block one of the bolts, the other will reach you. If you block them both, they will keep trying to break through your defenses until they break through," he said in a grave tone as he stood over the seemingly unconscious boy.

"It's a perfect and deadly technique. It's still amazing you survived it, Kurosaki," he added quietly, then turned around and prepared to leave. But a sound behind him stopped him. He looked back over his shoulder and his eyes widened. Ichigo was not only alive, he was trying to stand and Gienzo would have to be an idiot not to notice that the orange haired warrior did not intend to give up.

Hotairu didn't stop the amber eyed Hybrid from getting up, nor did he try to talk him out of it. He was impressed by the boy's persistence, but at the same time saddened. Had the ex-Shinigami allowed him to leave peacefully, they could have battled again once the orange haired warrior became stronger. But as it was, it seemed Gienzo would have to kill him now.

"Your persistence alone," he said as Ichigo finally stood on his legs, albeit shakily, "is a power to fear, Kurosaki Ichigo," he finished as he turned around, facing the amber eyed teen again and regaining his fighting pose. If the young boy wanted to die trying to defeat him, then Gienzo would at least give him the honor of fighting seriously to the very end, even if he wouldn't reveal his Resurrección to him. Not because he didn't think that the younger warrior didn't deserve to see it, but because his orders were not to release unless it was truly necessary.

Ichigo swallowed as he forced himself to breathe more or less steadily. His legs were shaking under him and he could barely stand. His whole body was hurting all over like it never did before. But he wouldn't let that stop him. This guy was after Rukia and it was more than obvious that no matter how strong the female Shinigami was, she wouldn't stand a chance against this Hollow. So if he failed, God only knew what would happen to her. He couldn't allow that. He couldn't allow anyone to hurt her. Not as long as he lived.

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo tightened the grip on his swords before focusing his swaying vision on the Aniquilador before him. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo shunpō-ed behind his opponent, avoiding another cero in the process, as he felt his regenerating powers healing some of his injuries, but nowhere near all of them. High-Speed Regeneration just couldn't keep up.

As he reappeared behind his opponent, he swung his blade, but the Hollow simply turned around and parried the blow with enough force to make Ichigo stumble. Gienzo tried to use the Hybrid's momentary loss of balance to thrust his sword into his chest, but Ichigo avoided him by sonido-ing into the air. Following his movements closely, the Arrancar followed him, already preparing his next attack.

Ichigo's eyes widened when he turned around to look behind and slightly above him, but all he saw was a blue beam of energy rushing straight at him.

'_I won't make it!'_ the Hybrid managed to think before the attack consumed him and smashed him back into the ground. The orange haired teen coughed up blood as he tried to force himself to stand up one more time, but his body refused to cooperate at this point and he stayed where he landed, his amber orbs slowly closing.

"You wanted to know why I was sent after Kuchiki Rukia," Gienzo said as he stood over the fallen teen, his sword draped over his shoulder, completely unaware of the fact that while he was unable to move or even force his eyes open, Ichigo heard perfectly well what the Aniquilador was saying. The Hollow sighed before turning around, then glanced back at the orange head. "She has something our master has great need of," he said, showing in his own way that he acknowledged the Hybrid as an equal and a worthy opponent before he walked off, making a small hole in the barrier before leaving in a buzz of sonido once he stepped outside.

Orihime's eyes widened when suddenly a whiff of wind made her hair fly to the front and she turned around quickly to see if what she thought was happening had actually happened.

"The barrier!" Ishida said loudly, confirming her thoughts. The barrier had indeed broken.

However, Inoue could only gasp at the sight that greeted her. The peaceful image of the clearing that was there just a second ago vanished completely, letting the horrible reality show itself. Almost every tree around the clearing was either broken or burned down. The ground was full of small craters, either created by attacks that missed their targets or, what Orihime hoped was not the case, by someone crashing not exactly softly into the earth.

But what took the breath away from the auburn haired healer's lungs was the lone figure lying in the middle of the clearing, unmoving.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime screamed as she ran towards him, Ishida, Chad, Nel and Nigaru following close behind. The grey eyed girl didn't exactly know how she was sure the figure lying there was him. She just knew. And unfortunately, she wasn't wrong. She gasped when she arrived at his side, not believing her eyes.

"Itsygo!" Neliel cried from behind Orihime, but she too stopped dead in her tracks when she saw in what condition her friend was. Ishida and Chad froze on the spot too, as soon as they got a bit closer.

"K-Kurosaki…" Uryū managed to say in a disbelieving tone. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He just couldn't believe it.

"Ichigo," Chad whispered as well, as if hoping the orange haired boy would finally respond. He didn't.

"Sōten Kisshun! I reject!" the auburn haired girl suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs, the familiar golden barrier surrounding the orange haired boy immediately. Ishida sighed.

"Inoue-san," he started, but Orihime didn't acknowledge him, too preoccupied with healing her secret crush to listen to him. Still, Uryū continued: "do you think it will bring anything? I mean… seeing his condition, it's more than likely that he's…" he couldn't bring himself to end that thought, but he was sure everyone around knew what he was about to say, for everyone saw what condition Ichigo was in.

The orange haired boy was lying motionlessly on his stomach in a pool of his own blood that kept getting bigger and bigger, the blood continuously pouring out of the injuries all over his body. But what led Ishida to believe that Ichigo might not get out of this one were none of the wounds overall on his body, not even the thin hole made by a sword's blade in the ex-Shinigami's back and seemingly going right through him. No what really worried the son of one of the best doctors (and the owner) of the Karakura Hospital was the deep wound in Ichigo's head, a little over his temple (and unbeknownst to Ishida, a second one was in the other side of his head as well) and the other deep slash over his forehead. And the fact that the teen's eyes were closed and that he didn't even seem to be breathing was not helping him feel better.

"Kurosaki-kun's not dead," Orihime replied stubbornly. Only silence followed her words as the group of friends knelt around the orange haired ex-Shinigami, hoping the healer was right and waiting for their friend to wake up.

"It reappeared again!" Rukia screamed suddenly, making Renji almost jump out of his skin. Before he could say anything about her scaring the living daylights out of him with her outburst, the thirteenth squad fukutaichō was already out of the shōten and on the way towards the Hollow. The red haired Shinigami didn't waste any time following her, catching up soon enough.

"It's the same?" he asked her as he glanced at her pager, noticing that the reading was disturbingly close to the location Orihime and the others were at. And it wasn't a small reading either. Holding back a curse, Renji sped towards the park with Rukia hot on his heels.

"I'm pretty sure it is. It's strange though… It seems quite a bit weaker for some reason," she noticed before closing her pager and pocketing it somewhere in the midst of her shihakusho.

"Any idea why that could be?" Renji asked, but Rukia shook her head negative. She thought that maybe the Hollow got into a fight of sorts, but then again, if there was a fight between Hollows, or if her three friends had been fighting it, she would have felt it… right?

"Whatever. Let's just go and get rid of it," the Vice Captain of the sixth division said, and Rukia nodded in agreement.

Once they arrived at the park, they didn't have to look long in order to find the Hollow. The only thing that actually surprised them about it was its appearance.

It looked almost human, meaning he was probably an Arrancar, but his clothing was torn and bloodied in many places. The discoloration, it seemed, came mostly out of his own wounds, as his body was covered from head to toe in shallow cuts, which were bleeding nonetheless, with a few burns at his chest and back, which were also adorned by a few crisscrossing, deep wounds, one of which (and definitely the deepest) looked like something sharp in the form of a circle has smashed right into him. Another truly deep wound was on his left shoulder, going down to his collarbone, making Rukia wonder how he was still able to use his left arm at all.

His black hair was down and falling to his shoulders, the ends colored in red from all the blood and on his head, encircling it like some sort of diadem on the height of about the middle of his forehead was a white ring made of a bone like substance, probably rests of his Hollow mask. The only thing that was missing that would be identifying this person as a Hollow was a Hollow-hole, but Rukia didn't need to see it to know she had an Espada standing in front of her. A powerful one at that. If the reading she got was anything to go by, she could that despite his injuries and the fact that he was slightly out of breath, he was exceptionally strong.

The raven haired Shinigami was now almost sure the Hollow had been fighting someone before running into them. What she didn't understand was why her Soul Pager hadn't picked the signal up or why she herself hadn't felt anything, for she doubted the Espada just arrived from Hueco Mundo. Another thing the adopted Kuchiki was curious about was who the Hell this Hollow, possibly Espada, was fighting to begin with. But she never got to ask any questions as the Arrancar opened his eyes, revealing them to be same golden Rukia had seen Ichigo's eyes become when he put his mask on, only that his sclera where white, whereas Ichigo's became black then, and asked her a question of his own before she could even open her mouth.

"Are you Kuchiki Rukia, fukutaichō of the thirteenth squad?" he asked in a deep voice and Rukia narrowed her eyes, silently wondering why this Hollow knew her name.

"I am," she replied silently as she unsheathed her sword, never getting the chance to ask how he knew her name, why he was looking for her or even who he was to be asking her, as the Arrancar attacked.

He could feel the pain slowly subside as he heard voices around him. Voices he recognized and which, he admitted to himself, he was glad to hear. He was actually expecting to die, but apparently, Inoue had found him before he could and was patching him up. He'd have to thank her later once he made sure that Rukia was safe and out of harm's way… RUKIA!

His eyes snapped wide open as realization hit him. He failed to stop the Arrancar that was after her. Granted, he survived (albeit barely), but he had let the Hollow leave. It was only a matter of time before he found her and killed her if the orange haired teen didn't do something to prevent it!

Ignoring the pain he still felt in his whole body, Ichigo slowly and shakily pushed himself up to his knees.

"Kurosaki-kun!" he heard Orihime's relieved call to his right, followed by the voices of his other friends around him. But right now, only one thought was present in his head.

"Rukia…" he whispered as he tried to force himself to stand.

"Wait, Kurosaki-kun! I'm not done healing you yet! Please, at least let me finish the most grave wounds!" he heard Inoue's begging tone, but he ignored her completely as he let his reiatsu flare to the point where it broke the auburn haired girl's healing shield.

"I… have to… help… Rukia…" he chocked as he stood shakily on his legs, his two blades already in his hands. That was when Ishida and Chad decided to intervene, grabbing him by the arms to both prevent him from falling and to stop him from going wherever it was he wanted to go, his blood staining their clothes immediately. Indeed, Orihime was nowhere near finished healing him.

"Ichigo" Chad called calmly to his friend, trying to make him see reason, but got no answer. Ishida wasn't as gentle as Chad though.

"Stop it, Kurosaki! You're in no condition to go anywhere, much less to continue fighting!" the dark haired Quincy shouted.

"I know," Ichigo replied quietly, to which Ishida's eyes widened. For someone who knew, Ichigo surely wasn't acting like it. "Let go."

"Like Hell I will! You're not going anywhere until Inoue-san patches you up!" Ishida called back defiantly, unlike Chad who, trusting his friend, decided to let him go. Sensing only one pair of arms still holding him down, Ichigo let his reiatsu spike once more.

"I said let go!" he said a bit louder as his reiatsu flared just enough to make the Quincy lose his grip on him and stumble backwards. Using the very few moments Ichigo knew he had before someone would cling onto him again, the Hybrid quickly crossed the swords on front of him before slashing the air.

"Hakkei! Saa, Tsuchiro," he said quietly as a blinding light erupted from the slight reiatsu traces that his swords have left. Feeling what little strength he had regained thanks to Orihime leave him upon releasing Tsuchiro, Ichigo's legs gave way under him and he would have fallen to the ground if Chad hadn't caught him.

"Why let me out now, King?" his Inner Hollow asked unceremoniously. He saw no sense in it. After all, the fight was over. However, whatever remark was at the end of his tongue got caught in his mouth when he saw Ichigo's condition. Being a part of him, Shirosaki knew pretty well that his King was pretty much beaten up, but he didn't expect it to be quite this bad.

Golden eyes widened when Ichigo extended one arm towards him, handing him the hilt of his Zanpakutō, not caring that the blade was cutting his palm the way he held it.

"Please…" he chocked weakly as slowly darkness started to overcome him. "Help… Rukia…"

Ichigo knew that he was in no condition to go and help the petite Soul Reaper that was Kuchiki Rukia. But at the same time he knew that while Rukia was strong, there was no way she was strong enough to defend herself against this enemy. So he did the only thing he knew would make sense, especially since Inoue was with him. Tsuchiro was a part of him, so naturally, he was just as strong as him, maybe little bit weaker since their power seemed to be divided when separated. On the other hand, while outside his Inner World, Shirosaki couldn't get hurt, since all the injuries he received went to Ichigo's body. So as long as Inoue was healing him, things should be fine he figured. Orihime would heal him from his current injuries and the ones he would receive while Tsuchiro fought Gienzo and protected Rukia for him. All that was really needed was for Tsuchiro to agree…

"Count on it," Tsuchiro said almost immediately and took Zangetsu out of Ichigo's lose grip. He didn't exactly know why, but he was happy to know his King trusted him with both his own life and the life of the person that was most important to him. And Tsuchiro promised himself that he would not betray that trust.

Ichigo smiled weakly at him as he mouthed a 'thank you' before his eyes closed again and his hand fell limply to his side, Demonio hitting the ground soon afterwards. The orange haired teen had lost consciousness and Chad laid him carefully on the ground, while Orihime put up her healing barrier around him again.

"Oi, woman," Tsuchiro called to Orihime who looked up at him with somewhat fearful eyes. He looked almost exactly like Ichigo, save for the fact that he was all black and white, but there was something intimidating about him.

"Keep that barrier around him and don't take it down even when you think you're done. Keep it going until I get back. Got that?" his voice was harsh and commanding and the look in his eyes made Orihime shiver inwardly. The fact that his voice was somewhat doubled over wasn't making things better.

Overtaken by sudden fear, the same she had felt when her brother came to kill her or when she first saw Ichigo with his mask on, she could only nod in agreement, to which the deep scowl on the face of the Hollow that looked so much like Ichigo softened a tiny bit.

"Good," was all he said before he disappeared in a whisper of shunpō.

* * *

*** If you watched the second Bleach film, you know what kind of barrier I'm talking about. For those who didn't, it's basically a barrier that prevents anyone inside from leaving it and anyone from the outside to enter, as well as even see what's going on inside, pretty much like Aizen's illusions really, since when the barrier shatters, from the outside it looks like a glass painting just shattering to pieces, revealing what was really going on. I'm not quite sure if this barrier is also able to prevent people on the outside to feel the reiatsu of the people on the inside, but let's assume it is.**

**** Aniquilador – 'Destroyer' in Spanish.**

***** I don't think it's really like that in canon, but since when I watched (or read) Bleach the regenerating was sometimes translated as 'Instant' and sometimes as 'High-Speed Regeneration', I decided to distinguish them as two different regenerating abilities, each with their strengths and drawbacks.**

**(4)**** Hitonakase howaido – "white nuisance" in Japanese. But I'm not sure whether the adjective 'howaido' (white) should be before or after the noun. Sorry if I made a mistake there, if someone knows, please tell me.**

**(5)**** Shinken – a type of Japanese sword. Here's a link to where you can see more or less what it looks like. Just replace the (dot) with actual dots and efface the spaces: http:/www(dot)leesarmoury(dot)com /images / Musashi%20Shinken%20(1).JPG**

**(6)**** Aniquilador de las memorias, Hotairu Gienzo – 'Aniquilador de las memorias' means 'destroyer of memories' in Spanish. It's Gienzo's rank, but I'm not going to reveal completely what it means yet. Hotairu Gienzo is just a name I came up with for this Arrancar and as far as I know, it means nothing at all.**

**(7)**** El Olvido – 'Oblivion' in Spanish**

**My good, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Seriously. Now, I'm just tired. Please, give me some strength with your reviews so that I can get back to writing the next chapter… after I finish my exam tomorrow. Ugh… I hate secondary school certificate… and it's only starting… Damn… school sucks… Luckily, it's as good as summer vacation now, the two tiny upcoming exams aside… finally summer vacation.**

**Eeeh, sorry for babbling. Take care everyone and see you next chapter. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think LOL And if you want to know something, feel free to ask XD **


	12. Part of the Family

**Well, like I said, I update faster when I'm on vacation with nothing to do XD Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Before I forget, I kinda re-read a few chapters of Bleach and noticed that Kensei is like, one of the most OOC characters I've ever written. Sorry for that. I tried to make him a bit more IC in this chapter. Please, tell me if I succeeded.**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWS:**

_**U-teru**_**: I'm glad you liked it and thanks for the review. I hope you enjoy this one just as much as the previous ones :3**

_**1290r5:**_** Thanks, I guess. But you don't have to wake up that early to read this. Give your body a rest LOL It deserves it :] And this story isn't worth giving up sleep anyway :3**

_**Standard Disclaimer and Reader's Key required**_

**Thousand thanks to **_**StrawBerryFlutterBy **_**for beta-ing this chapter.**

* * *

_Chapter 12 – Part Of The Family_

_Shortly before Ichigo's fight with Gienzo; at the Vizards hideout._

The basement was silent. Only the sound of panting could be heard as the four Vizards were sitting on the ground, trying to regain their breath after another hard training session. But it paid off. They could see results. Or at least they thought they did.

Suddenly, Shinji abruptly stood up. His body was visibly tense and his hand traveled to his Zanpakutō instinctively. He knew nothing was approaching, so he didn't draw it. But he could feel that something was wrong. And as he soon found out, he wasn't wrong as a strong wave of Hollow reiatsu hit him. It was not enough to affect him strongly or even shake the ground, but he knew it was not because the Hollow emitting it was weak. In fact, as Shinji sensed the whereabouts of the Hollow, he was surprised he even sensed it at all. And his surprise increased when a second reiatsu, this time a very familiar one, joined the first. And soon enough, it increased in magnitude.

"Ichigo," the blond Vizard recognized it immediately. But if he could sense it, it must mean that Ichigo was out of his gigai and releasing quite a lot of spiritual pressure. Whether it was with or without his bracelet, Shinji didn't know, but he did know one thing.

"There's a fight hanging in the air," Lisa confirmed his thoughts as she and Kensei stood up as well.

"And Ichigo's opponent isn't a weak one," Kensei added. The three of them looked at each other before glancing at Hachi. The giant nodded at them in silent agreement and they nodded back. The four of them didn't need to speak aloud to know what they needed to do.

In a minute, Hachigen's barrier was removed and the four Vizards stepped out into the sun with determined look in their eyes. It wasn't that they didn't believe in Ichigo, but they preferred to be there in case he needed help, rather than to leave him to his own devices should he need them. They have already failed to help once, and they would not repeat that mistake again. After all, when the orange haired teen had been fighting Aizen, all four of them, while not in perfect health, were perfectly capable of helping, even if Gin _did_ stand in their way. But they didn't get there quick enough, and Ichigo could have paid it with his life. They had all seen how severely wounded he was. It had been a miracle High-Speed Regeneration could heal him completely (or almost completely) in time.

No, they would not repeat the same mistake again. They would not risk losing one more member of their small (albeit weird) family. They would watch each other's backs, like they always did.

Suddenly, Kensei, who was leading their small group, stopped abruptly, resulting in Shinji bumping his nose into the larger man's back. The blond man didn't ask what was wrong though. All four of them felt it. Or rather, they felt nothing anymore. Which was exactly what was worrying them. Kensei clenched his fists.

"Damn it to Hell! Where did the reiatsu disappear to?" he cursed. The former captain of squad nine highly doubted there would be no fighting going on, nor did the other three Vizards. The exchange of reiatsu-threats just now was enough for them to know. But the spiritual powers have disappeared completely without a trace, as if they were never there to begin with.

"Do you think they took the fight somewhere else, away from the town?" Lisa suggested in a calm tone, but her eyes betrayed her unease. Shinji shook his head.

"We would have sensed them moving if they did. And if Ichigo had opened a Graganta to take the fight to Hueco Mundo, we would have sensed that too… not to mention seen it," he replied and for the first time since the war, his grin was wiped off his face, replaced by a solemn look that was nothing short of worry. "What in the world is Ichigo thinking?"

"He doesn't want anyone in town to get hurt," Hachi replied calmly, making the three others turn to him. Kensei narrowed his eyes in silent anger.

"What do you mean, Hachi?" he asked in a low tone, but his anger wasn't directed at the former Vice Captain of the kidō corps. Hachigen sighed.

"I can feel a barrier in the exact place we have felt Ichigo and that Hollow just now. A kind of barrier that can hide everything going on inside from sight and stop the spiritually aware outside to sense any reiatsu within. My guess is, Ichigo put up this barrier in order to be sure that his, or the Arrancar's, reiatsu wouldn't harm anyone, spiritually aware or not, in town," he said simply.

"I didn't know Ichigo could put up such barriers. When did he learn such advanced kidō?" Lisa asked, more to herself than anyone else. Shinji answered her before turning to Hachi.

"That's not important right now, Lisa. What's important is that if Ichigo decided to put up such a barrier, it means he's expecting a real fight. He may even expect himself to go all out. Which is even more of a reason for us to go to where he is, just in case. Hachi, since you can at least sense the barrier, lead the way."

The giant nodded and walked away, the three other Vaizards hot on his heels. However, even though they were running as fast as they could, before they could get there, yet another change in their reiatsu-feeling stopped them again.

"The barrier must have broken," Hachigen stated the obvious. His voice was calm, but his eyes were wide with surprise. The Arrancar's reiatsu was there again… but Ichigo's was not.

"You don't think he…" Lisa started, obvious fear detectable in her voice for the first time in centuries. But it was to be expected. The war changed her too. Just like it changed everyone, even the most powerful Shinigami; those with the most experience and those the most used to fighting. But no one could get out of this pure carnage that was the Winter War unscathed, and Lisa was no exception. Though she still showed a tough façade just like she used to, she was now much more open to showing her fear of losing her friends. The loss of Love, Mashiro, Hiyori and Rose had hit her hard. They had been part of her small family. Part of the very few people who understood how she felt deep down, because they were just like her. Losing them had hurt. So much that the former fukutaichō of the eighth division had promised herself to make sure not to let anyone else of their family die. The other three were thinking along the same lines, she was sure of it. She couldn't accept the fact that they might be too late.

"No," Shinji cut through her sentence before she could even finish the thought in her mind. "He's too strong for that." His voice was confident and he was almost certain he was right. Almost being the keyword. If Ichigo was indeed still alive, though, why couldn't they feel him?

"_**Concentrate, Shinji-kun,"**_ he heard the familiar voice of his Zanpakutō in his head and it helped him to relax a little, even if his outer appearance never seemed tense to begin with. _**"Concentrate, and you will be able to feel him and those who are trying to help him."**_

Obeying his sword, Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to pick up any reiatsu, no matter how faint it might be. First there was nothing, but then he started to pick up 'readings' he was not used to, mostly because he had tuned them out most of the time. There were two Soul Reapers, one of whom seemed slightly familiar, but Shinji did not dwell on them. The Arrancar reiatsu was nearby and it was purely a matter of time before the two Shinigami engaged in battle.

Then there were three almost-human reiatsu. One of them had a faint Hollow tint to it. The other Shinji qualified rather quickly as a Quincy. The third, and the strongest, had felt a bit like Hachigen when he used his special healing kidō, which surprised the blond man. But then he remembered the auburn haired girl who had come to them more than once, before and even after the War. Orihime Inoue if his memory was correct. She had become pretty close to Hachi, which was why she kept coming back.

'_Judging by her reiatsu, she's using her powers,_' Shinji thought as he furrowed his brows. If she was using her powers, there had to be someone she had to be using them _on_. That's when he finally felt it. It was faint, dangerously so, but it was proof that their friend was still alive.

Shinji released the breath he did not know he had been holding and told the others about his discovery. Lisa had a relieved look on her face and Hachi just smiled as he told them they should go then, in case Orihime needed help with Ichigo's wounds. Hachi's powers were similar to hers after all. Only Kensei stood still with his eyes closed, as if he was contemplating something.

"It's weird," he said finally as he opened his grey eyes to look at their blond 'leader'. "I did sense Ichigo like you did… but there was this second reiatsu scent that felt like him too. More Hollow-like, but still like Ichigo. It was moving towards the two Shinigami… and the Hollow."

The blond Vizard's face hardened. Kensei was right, there was some second spiritual power that felt almost like Ichigo, albeit it had a stronger Hollow-hint to it. In fact, it felt completely like a Hollow and only a very weak aura of Ichigo's reiatsu was surrounding it. It was confusing to say the least. Shinji didn't know what to think or what to make of it.

"We know that Ichigo still think of the Shinigami as his friends," Lisa said suddenly. "So I think it's safe to assume the reiatsu moving towards the Shinigami and the Hollow is him. I mean, if he had problems defeating it, then the Shinigami stand no chance that much is certain. He probably just wants to help out," she said, but Shinji only sighed.

"What you say may be true. But if you're right, then whom is Miss Inoue treating right now?" he asked her. When Lisa didn't answer, Shinji continued, his eyes looking up at the sky. "We should split up, so that we can be sure to find Ichigo one way or another. Hachi, you and Kensei go to where Ichigo's three human friends are. If Miss Inoue is indeed healing him, she might need your help. Lisa and I will go to where those Shinigami are and we'll see who it is that's intending to help them… or harm them. We'll spike our reiatsu twice if we should need any help. Same goes for you."

The three remaining Vizards nodded at the orders and the four of them split up, each hoping it would be the other group who found the orange haired member of their small family.

Isshin had been sitting at his desk in his small clinic doing some paperwork until a short while ago. He thought little of the Hollow reiatsu he felt about half an hour ago, even if it was a strong one, especially since his son's spiritual pressure was the next to be felt. He had been only slightly worried when both signatures disappeared, but he paid it no mind. He believed his son was more than powerful enough to take on whatever had come and he had his friends to help. So the elder Kurosaki didn't see why he should worry. He trusted his son to win.

But when the Hollows reiatsu reappeared, even if weakened by a bunch, whereas Ichigo's did not, it was a whole different story and it explained why Isshin had forcefully separated his spirit form from his body. He didn't even think of using a Soul Candy or the Substitute Soul Reaper Badge he had taken on himself after Rukia delivered the news of Ichigo's death, as he jumped from roof to roof over Karakura, hoping to find his son.

'_You better not die on me, Ichigo,_' he thought as he finally picked up a weak signature that he could never mistake. He wasn't good at feeling reiatsu, a lack of skill Ichigo had inherited unfortunately, but if there was a reiatsu signature he would always be able to pick up, it would be the one belonging to his son, no matter how much it changed during his absence.

'_Don't you even _dare_ die on me,_' the worried father thought again as he felt Ichigo's reiatsu falter and weaken again. He had lived through the pain of losing his wife because of him not arriving in time and he had managed to pick himself back up from the ground after his son had decided to play dead for a while, but he was definitely not going to go through that pain again. Not if he could help it. No matter what the cost, he would not let Ichigo die again. Not him, not anyone.

Tsuchiro cursed under his breath when he arrived at the other side of the park, where he was sure he had sensed the Aniquilador and the two Shinigami, only to find it completely deserted. The fight must have moved somewhere else.

A smirk appeared on Shirosaki's lips as he felt another reiatsu wave hit him. It was strong but not dangerously so and it belonged to a Shinigami. The grin on the Hollow's face widened.

'_Someone had gone Bankai~_' the white Ichigo sang to himself in his mind as he started running again. But his grin was wiped off his face only to be replaced by a look of annoyance when he got a better feel at Gienzo's reiatsu.

'_Don't tell me that red haired, idiotic friend of the King went Bankai when his opponent is nowhere near fighting seriously! Jeez, it feels like that freaking Hollow hadn't even drawn his sword,_' he thought annoyed before he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened slightly as realization hit him.

Going Bankai when your opponent hadn't even drawn his sword. He had been in that situation before… well, his King had been anyway, and it had ended in complete disaster, with Ichigo almost dying without leaving as much as a scratch on the Cuarta Espada, who had been the one to defeat him barehanded. And apparently, the difference in power between the two Death Gods and the Hollow was as big as, if not bigger than the difference in power between Uluquiorra and Ichigo at the time. This in turn meant that if he didn't hurry up, then the King's love would die. Not something Tsuchiro would be happy about, especially since his King had trusted him to help her.

'_Damn it!_' the Hollow thought to himself as he started running again, not allowing the thought that he could be too late enter his mind. Ichigo had trusted him with Rukia's life, and Tsuchiro was not about to fail him.

Except that he didn't even get close to Rukia's location as two people caught up to him.

"Ichigo!" a female voice called and Tsuchiro turned his head to look over his shoulder without stopping. But no one was there, since whoever called him had just used his momentary loss of speed to get in front of him, forcing him to stop.

Ichigo's Inner Hollow didn't have to look twice to recognize the people who were in front of him, who proved to be Lisa and Shinji. Why they left their hideout, Shirosaki had no idea, but he didn't really care either. He didn't have the time.

Shinji eyed the creature in front of him suspiciously. It looked like Ichigo and had his sword. The only thing that didn't match was the fact that it was all black and white and his eyes were golden, surrounded by black sclera. His eyes widened when he understood who, or rather what it was that was standing in front of him.

"You're Ichigo's Inner Hollow," he stated as he slowly drew his sword. Lisa did the same beside him. As far as they knew, no Inner Hollow should ever be outside the body of the Vaizard. Heck, he shouldn't even exist anymore! Shinji remembered how his own Inner Self had disintegrated into dust after a bunch of threats to never be heard of again. Seeing Ichigo's Inner Hollow right in front of him was disturbing to say the least.

"What are you doing outside?" the blond asked, his usually grinning face turning into a frown. He didn't like what he was seeing, for there weren't a lot of explanations as to why an Inner Hollow was 'outside'.

"The King let me out," Tsuchiro answered as he took a step back. These were his Kings friends, not to mention somewhat family. How was he supposed to fight them? "He trusted me to help his Shinigami friends, so that's what I'm trying to do."

Never had Tsuchiro thought he would not only _not_ be seeking battle, but actually trying to _avoid_ it. He loved to fight more than anything else. And yet here he was, trying to avoid a battle against someone who has already drawn his sword against him, just because it was some friend of Ichigo's. Who would have thought?

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Shinji asked sarcastically. He had his own experiences with Inner Hollows, and while he knew that Ichigo was different, for he was an Arrancar now, he still doubted his Inner Hollow would obediently do as asked. It was just too weird to believe.

"You can believe whatever you want, but if Rukia dies, then trust me, the King won't be happy," Tsuchiro replied grimly as he felt the reiatsu around him again. As far as he could tell, it wasn't looking good for the Soul Reapers at all.

The two Vizards hesitated. It was true, if something happened to Rukia, Ichigo would be devastated. But at the same time, the two of them couldn't be sure whether they could trust the white version of Ichigo or not.

Suddenly, the golden eyes widened and Shinji noted with surprise that what he saw in them was fear. Never before had he seen any Hollow afraid before. The only question remaining was what had scared him so, for Shinji doubted it was him or Lisa.

"Oh Shit," Tsuchiro cursed as he quickly used shunpō to get past the two stunned Vizards. Shinji cursed himself as the Hollow disappeared from his sight and turned around to follow him, but stopped when he saw the two giant light beams that were nothing else but released reiatsu. Released to the point when it went through the roof. Only an idiot wouldn't understand what happened.

The two Shinigami had used Gentei Kaihou.

Gienzo quickly stepped outside of the range of the icy circle on the ground and ice shot towards the skies and then evaded another attack coming from the bamboo-like snake that was supposed to be a Bankai but in his opinion was only a lame excuse of one. Compared to Ichigo's, this one was plain boring. It was clear as day that the redhead using it had not yet mastered all of its weaknesses and strengths, either because he wasn't using it much or because it hadn't been too long since he obtained it. Whatever the reason, Gienzo knew that after surviving the small, condensed Bankai his previous opponent had demonstrated and forced him onto the defensive with, this oversized snake was nothing to worry about. Add to that that his main target didn't seem to know more than her Shikai. It really wasn't surprising that Gienzo was bored. Or rather disappointed. Compared to the fight he had before that, these two were nothing… But then again, he should probably be thankful for that, for his condition wasn't that of a Hollow that could take another opponent as strong as Ichigo.

He admitted though, that last release, Gentei Kaihou as they called it, had forced him to draw his sword at least, but the two Shinigami had a long way to go before he would feel threatened enough to use his real Zanpakutō. Needless to say that after fighting on quite a high level with Ichigo, Gienzo expected his target to be more of a challenge than it proved to be and the Aniquilador found himself doubting if he had really found the right person.

He sighed as he blocked another kidō with his blade like he would do with a cero before using sonido in order to get behind the raven haired girl. He was about to hit her with the hilt of his sword in order to knock her out and just leave like he was supposed to, but he suddenly found himself unable to move as six rods of light impaled themselves into his waist. He hadn't even noticed the Shinigami say something, much less cast a Bakudō at him, but that wasn't going to stop him.

"You'll need more than that to stop me, Kuchiki Rukia," he said as he fought her spell with his spiritual pressure. Soon enough, the first two rods broke, making moving a whole lot easier. The Hollow was about to continue his task, when he noticed the raven haired girl had stepped away from him with a smirk on her face. It was then that the redhead reminded the Aniquilador of his existence.

"Hikōtsu Taihō!" he heard to his right and turned his head just in time to see the sneak he had been making fun of a short while ago prolong itself as it flew in his direction, a red orb of energy forming in the snake's open mouth. Before the Hollow could as much as blink, the energy fired right in his face.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" Rukia yelled, attacking the same spot for good measure. She knew Renji's attack was powerful, but she wanted to be sure it would be all over after this. The raven haired Shinigami let out a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding as her attack hit the intended target, freezing it solid.

"That had to get him, didn't it?" Renji asked as he shunpō-ed right next to her. She nodded and closed her eyes, feeling relief wash over her. She would not admit it aloud, but for a while, she had been worried they would not make it.

'_Don't let your guard down yet, midget! It's not over!_' she heard in her head and her eyes snapped open at the familiar voice of Ichigo, just to see an eerie green light shine inside the ice her attack had created. Her violet eyes widened as the ice exploded and she shielded herself with her hands from the ice particles and the dirt that the wind of the explosion had picked up.

"What the Hell?" she heard Renji yell beside her. They both jumped to the right and left respectively, avoiding a cero that had been directed at them from the cloud of dust where the Arrancar had just been standing.

'_I-Ichigo?_' Rukia asked instead, her eyes still wide. He had just saved her, although how he knew her foe was not done was a mystery to her.

'_Yeah, I'm here,_' he said. His voice was soft, as if he wanted to calm her and she couldn't help but smile slightly at the fact that he was there to help her… even if he was only in her head. '_But damn, do you have to scare me like that? What were you thinking letting your guard down so quickly?_' he scolded her and she frowned at the annoyance at his voice. But the frown soon faded when she noticed that he had been right. If not for him yelling at her, she could just as well be dead by now. She was about to apologize, but he didn't allow her to.

'_You know what, forget it. Concentrate on the battle. He just decided to take you a bit more seriously. Don't let your guard down,_' she heard him say before his comforting presence started to fade from her mind.

'_Wait, Ichigo! What do you mean? And how do you even know that? Ichigo?_'

But he didn't respond and Rukia was about to curse him for leaving her with only questions in her mind when the dust from the explosion finally cleared, revealing their foe. To her utter surprise, he didn't look any worse than when he first arrived, aside from a small burn in his sleeve that even reached his Hierro on his sword-arm. The only real change was his sword. It was surrounded by a green glow that made it look like the sword had gained at least two feet in length and became a few inches brighter. It looked like some sort of second skin that surrounded the weapon, giving it a slightly new appearance.

"I admit, I wasn't expecting a combination like that. It was a very good idea and the timing wasn't bad. But it wasn't anywhere near the strength you'd need to defeat me. And now, I'm done playing with you," the Hollow said and disappeared in a buzz of sonido.

He reappeared behind Rukia and swung his sword at her. The raven haired Shinigami barely had time to avoid the blade, quickly taking notice of the fact that her opponent had become quicker.

Gienzo didn't give her a moments rest from then on, switching instead to non-stop onslaught. He only used sonido from time to time, so that an attack she used attacked her friend or vice versa, or simply to avoid being hit. He admitted that the Shinigami girl stood her ground rather well but he still couldn't understand what his master saw in her. Personally, he thought Ichigo was a lot more interesting. But he wasn't about to question his orders. He was sent to retrieve her, conscious or not, and retrieve her he will.

Suddenly, the Aniquilador sonido-ed away from the pair he was fighting and narrowed his eyes. Three more people were arriving, most probably to help the Soul Reapers. It didn't look good for him, especially since he was quite tired thanks to Ichigo, even if he refused to let it show. The battle against the orange haired boy hadn't left him unscathed. He sighed.

This was supposed to be an easy mission, especially for someone of his rank. Come, pick up what you came to pick up then leave again. He wasn't supposed to be fighting fight after fight and he certainly wasn't supposed to get slowed down by an opponent who almost forced him to release. OK, he exaggerated the last part. Still, fighting an enemy who forced him to reveal his true blade wasn't part of the plan either.

Deciding to end this quickly before the other three had a chance to arrive and stop him (or slow him down even more, which was more likely, for he doubted someone could be coming who was able to actually stop him), Gienzo used sonido to appear behind the raven haired Shinigami and knocked her out with the back of his sword before she had any chance to turn around, then turned towards the redhead. He had no more time to play around. He had to end this now. But he had his pride and there was no way he would show his sword to the likes of those two.

"Who's there?" Ishida asked suddenly as he turned his back on Orihime, Chad and the still unconscious Ichigo as he called forth his bow and pointed it in the direction he felt the unfamiliar reiatsu approach. He didn't wait long for an answer as two individuals appeared before him.

"Friends of Ichigo's" one of them, with short grey hair replied gruffly. Ishida narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing them. Chad now stood beside him with a calm look on his face, but it was obvious he didn't trust them either. The only explanation as to why they hadn't started fighting was that in this precise moment, Orihime looked up and recognized one of the men.

"Hachigen-san," she said with surprise and the giant smiled pleasantly at her.

"It has been a while, Inoue-chan," Hachi replied as Ishida's eyes widened a bit.

"Do you know them, Inoue-san?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. The auburn haired girl nodded.

"Don't worry, Ishida-kun. They're not our enemies. They're Kurosaki-kun's friends," Orihime assured and Uryū allowed his bow to vanish. At the mention of Ichigo, the grey haired man definitely became more interested in the conversation, he noticed.

"Where's Ichigo?" he asked simply.

"He's… right here," Orihime replied quietly as she knelt back down and turned to her patient who by then had mostly recovered. But the auburn haired healer wasn't at ease yet. "I'm… having trouble healing him," she admitted as she looked at his face with fear in her eyes. She was able to heal almost every single wound inflicted on him… almost being the key word. But no matter how long it took or how much power she put behind it, she just couldn't heal the deep head wound that kept oozing blood. If anything, Inoue feared that it only started bleeding even more than before, making Ichigo turn sickly pale. If this continued, she was afraid he would bleed to death, without her being able to do anything.

Hearing her words, both Kensei and Hachigen moved forward and Kensei's eyes widened when he saw in what condition his orange haired friend was. He clenched his fists tightly.

"I'm going to kill the bastard that did this to him," he swore under his breath.

"There's a lot of foreign reiatsu gathered around that wound… I can't reject it," Inoue's shaky voice reached his ears and his head snapped up before he looked down on Ichigo before understanding dawned on him. The wound she was talking about was exactly where the orange haired teen's mask had been. It must have been blown away during the fight. So in order for the wound to close, the mask would have to be re-placed.

The problem was that Orihime's power, while absolute when it came to healing physical wounds, was taking a lot of time to replenish reiatsu, which was exactly what Ichigo needed. The Hollow mask, as the Vizards have learned through the use of it, looked like it had a bone-like structure, but in reality, it was high condensed reiatsu that took physical form, pretty much like a Shinigami's Zanpakutō. It was no wonder the young healer wasn't able to heal him, for while Ichigo's Hollow reiatsu gathered around the wound in order to rebuild the mask, Orihime kept rejecting it, thinking it was foreign and didn't belong to him. Shortly put, instead of healing him, she was actually preventing him from healing himself.

Kensei sighed and put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Why don't you stop for now? Hachi could take over and you could rest," he offered, eyes still resting on Ichigo's still form as anger built up inside him. He tried to be gentle, but he had a feeling his rage was still more than easily detectable on his face. Oh how he wanted to beat the one responsible for this into a bloody pulp.

To his greatest annoyance, the auburn haired girl defiantly shook her head no, and just by looking into her eyes, Kensei knew she was going to say something along the lines of 'I won't stop until I've healed him' despite seeing very well that she couldn't. Whether she actually noticed that she was disturbing instead of helping, Kensei didn't know, but he didn't really care either as a vein popped on his forehead. This girl, just like Mashiro, always had her ways to tick him off.

He sighed as he put his hand on her head and forced her to look up to him, not bothering to hide his annoyance and anger, though not all of it should be directed at her. She was trying to help after all, not do more damage.

"Listen here, girl, I don't know whether you notice this or not, but you're not helping him. You helped as much as you could, but you can't help any more. Hachi can. So stop acting like a five-year-old and let people who can actually do something do their work before he pays for your mistakes with his life," he said in a stern tone, laced with his anger for good measure. Orihime shivered slightly as she looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear, but it was understandable. A truly mad Kensei could be more than just scary for people far braver than her.

"Oi, don't talk to Inoue-san like that! She's only trying to help and if not for her, Kurosaki would probably be dead by now. Stop treating her this way when she did nothing wrong," Ishida snapped, pushing the larger man back and moving to stand between him and Orihime. Kensei only che-ed though.

"I'm aware that she had helped him, I said it before. I'm only asking her to stop killing him now because that's all she's doing. And if I were you, I would get out of my face unless you want to get hurt, kid."

This time, it was on Ishida's forehead that a vein actually popped. The young Quincy never thought someone would be able to piss him off more than Kurosaki did, but the orange haired teen had just found himself some competition. The man in front of him was just downright infuriating.

Before the black haired teen could respond however, the giant, Hachigen-san as Orihime had called him, laid his hand on the other man's shoulders and silently shook his head as if telling him to calm down. Then, he turned to the young healer.

"Inoue-chan, if you would please allow me to take it from here?" he asked her gently. Orihime hesitated for only a second before she nodded and allowed her healing shield to vanish. As soon as she did so, black reiatsu surrounded the head wound and the eyes of the three humans widened as slowly, the bleeding started to slow down. That was all that was happening though.

Without wasting any more time, Hachi slid his Hollow mask on, which greatly resembled a traditional Balinese demon mask, with goggle eyes tusks and protrusions sticking out from the top along with a row of feather-like spikes, in order to let his reiatsu be more Hollow-like. Once the deed was done, he quickly mumbled the incantation under his breath and soon a shield looking a lot like Orihime's was surrounding the orange haired teen again. The only real difference was the fact that it had a rectangular shape instead of an oval one like Inoue's.

Hachi narrowed his eyes as he tried to pour more reiatsu into his technique in an attempt of helping Ichigo's Hollows reiatsu to restore the mask with his own Arrancar-like power. His attempt didn't go unrewarded as soon the bleeding stopped completely and the dark, heavy reiatsu condensed around the wound before it slowly started to turn into a white, bone-like structure in the middle of the deep slash on his forehead, which proceeded to expand along the cut towards the two gashes on both side of his head. The three humans present stared as they watched the white… something… close the wound.

"What the Hell is that?" Ishida finally chocked out, although he had a pretty good guess. He never really saw Ichigo up front when the teen Hollowfied, but he knew that the mask seemed to appear out of nowhere through condensing a massive amount of reiatsu in one place: in front of Ichigo's face.

Kensei glanced at the three staring humans before his gaze wandered to Ichigo again. He understood immediately that these kids had no idea what had really happened to Ichigo. They might have known he survived, but they definitely didn't know what kind of change he'd undergone. And Kensei didn't want to be the one to tell them. It wasn't his story to tell anyway, nor was it Hachi's, so the two Vizards let the question hang in the air without an answer.

"What happened to Ichigo?"

It was the first time in a while that Chad actually said anything. The gentle giant didn't look at anyone but his orange haired friend as he asked his question. He knew what it was that had formed along Ichigo's forehead that was slowly starting to close up the wounds above his temples and he was sure Ishida and Inoue knew too. What he didn't but wanted to know was what had happened to make it a permanent part of Ichigo's features.

"It's not our story to tell," Kensei replied as the mask finally formed in its place, hiding any evidence that Ichigo was ever hurt in the first place. Slowly, the orange light surrounding the young Hybrid disappeared as Hachi allowed the barrier to vanish before lifting his mask back up and letting it disappear into thin air.

"He should be the one to tell you," the former lieutenant of the kidō corps said quietly as he watched Ichigo's peaceful face. Aside from the fact that he was still extremely pale, which wouldn't last for long as Hachi assured, he looked like he was fast asleep in a peaceful dream. His breathing was calm and steady and his face was relaxed.

"But now, he needs to rest," the healer of the Vizards finished and with that, both Vizards sat on the grass where they stood, followed by Ichigo's human friends, Nel and Nigaru (who were so quiet that everyone almost forgot they were there… or in Hachi's and Kensei's case never even noticed them in the first place) as the group of seven waited for their friend to awaken.

A loud explosion-like noise was heard as Renji hit the ground, the impact making a small crater in the ground where he landed. His Bankai would have crushed him the way it was following behind and almost flying down at him, but before it was even two feet away from the ground, it started glowing bright red before it disappeared in a flash of light, a simple katana impaling itself in the ground mere five inches away from Renji's unconscious form.

Gienzo stayed in the air for a few seconds longer glancing at the redhead whose name was a mystery to him, making him regret that he didn't ask only because he didn't know whom he killed and because the redhead had not known who it was that killed him. After these few seconds passed and the Aniquilador was sure that the Shinigami wouldn't get up, he sonido-ed beside Rukia before lifting her not too gently by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The only reason the raven haired girl didn't protest was because she was still out cold from when he hit her with the back of his sword.

The Aniquilador de las memorias smirked for the first time since his meeting with Ichigo, glad that his mission had ended the way he intended it to. His master would be satisfied, even if it took longer than it originally should, courtesy of Ichigo.

Gienzo sighed as he jumped up into the air, slowly bringing his hand up to open the Garganta, his mind drifting back to the orange haired… Shinigami? Arrancar? Hybrid? Hotairu wasn't quite sure. The boy definitely fought like a Shinigami. He had a Zanpkautō with a Shikai and Bankai release and he used kidō and shunpō. But on the other hand, he could also use cero and sonido, which was obviously a Hollow skill. The Aniquilador narrowed his eyes. Could the boy really be a hybrid of both of these races?

Deciding to put the thought aside for now, the Arrancar slid his outstretched hand to the left, preparing to slice the air in a straight line from left to right, with the intention of ripping a hole in the sky that would lead to Hueco Mundo. Only he never got that far as suddenly a gigantic beam of energy sot past him, missing his fingers by less than an inch.

Lost in thought, Gienzo hadn't noticed the three people he felt approach before arrive, so the attack that nearly burned his hand to ashes startled him slightly, but enough to let the unconscious Shinigami slip off his shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground. The Arrancar cursed and turned, hoping to retrieve his lost pray, but the girl was already on the ground in the arms of the person that had attacked him. The Aniquilador's eyes narrowed as he looked the figure up and down. He recognized it alright. He'd have to be blind not to recognize the one person who had for a while helped Ichigo during their fight before the orange haired warrior had called him back.

Tsuchiro let out the breath he didn't notice he had been holding as he gently laid Rukia on the ground. The girl was unconscious and injured, but it was nothing life threatening and as far as he'd seen, Renji's life wasn't in real danger either. Though the redhead could have also been better and was definitely in worse condition than the frail looking girl that had almost been taken to Hueco Mundo without even knowing it.

Ichigo's inner Hollow scowled at the thought. It had been close. He had almost been too late. Had almost failed his Kings trust. Luckily, 'almost' was the key word. In the end, he made it. Barely, but he made it.

Glancing to the side, Tsuchiro noticed the two Vizards catch up with him and he slowly stood up, hand clenching around his white Zangetsu while his other wandered to his belt where he had tucked Ichigo's sealed sword for the moment, ignoring that it was without a sheath.

"Take care of the Shinigami," he said as he locked gazes with the blond man. "I'll take care of this guy," he added as he turned around and glanced up, glaring at the Aniquilador that had almost killed his King and only narrowly failed to take the Queen to the realm of Hueco Mundo, where it could take quite the while to find her.

Surprisingly, Shinji didn't protest and only nodded. As Shirosaki shunpō-ed into the air, he nodded at Lisa to go get Rukia while he went over to the unconscious redhead before he lifted him onto his back. Glancing back, he saw Lisa gently doing the same with Rukia and after a nod to each other, they disappeared in a whisper of shunpō, heading for Urahara's shop. Gienzo tried to follow, but he was stopped as a cleaver-like, white sword was swung at him and he had to block the head-on blow. It wasn't hard, but then again, the move wasn't really made with killing intent, only with the intention of stopping him.

"You wanna follow her?" the black and white Ichigo asked in a mocking tone. "Then you gotta pass me first."

The group surrounding Ichigo was silent, waiting for the orange haired teen to wake up for the past half hour but to no result. The only one who didn't really expect him to wake up was Hachi, but he didn't offer to take Ichigo to the hideout yet. Of course, that would have been better for the young hybrid, but Hachi know that his friends wanted to be there when he woke up. Either that, or they were waiting for something else. Either way, just looking them in the face was enough to understand that they were waiting for _something_ and they wouldn't let Ichigo out of their sight until it happened.

Suddenly, Ichigo stirred on the grass, immediately getting everyone's attention. Inoue stopped fidgeting her fingers on her skirt and froze as she looked over to him. Ishida snapped his head towards him as well, averting his eyes from the sky watching something only he could see. Chad's eyes rested calmly on Ichigo's face as the giant waited for his friend to wake up. Nigaru, Kensei and Hachi just sat there waiting, unmoving. Only Hachigen's eyes moved, widening a little in surprise. Ichigo shouldn't be waking yet, that much was certain.

The only person to actually move was Nel, who clutched her almost forgotten toy, the one Ichigo helped her win at the Arcade, and leaned closer to her friend, looming over him, her face right above his, albeit at a save enough distance.

"Itsygo?" the Arrancar girl asked gently, wondering if he was really waking up. She got his answer as the stirring stilled and his face relaxed again as if he was falling back into sleep. Nel sighed as she leaned back again, only to gasp as a small wound appeared out of nowhere on Ichigo's shoulder blade like he was cut by an invisible sword. This time, all the other members of the 'waiting committee' leaned forward to see what was happening, wondering silently where the small wound had come from.

"_Keep that barrier around him and don't take it down even when you think you're done. Keep it going until I get back. Got that?_" The words of the 'fake Ichigo' (as Inoue started to call him in her head) suddenly resurfaced into Orihime's mind and following the instruction she should have followed this whole time, she put up the healing barrier again, the small cut disappearing within milliseconds.

'_It must have something to do with fake Ichigo going to help Rukia,_' Inoue thought as she maintained the barrier, refusing to listen to those around her telling her that she could stop. She remembered the tone in which Shirosaki had spoken and she was sure he had a good reason to speak in such a scary voice. For even if it was terrifying to see and hear someone who looked so much like Kurosaki-kun act and speak like that, she had to admit that it assured the person addressed would listen and obey… even if it was just because they were scared what would happen if they didn't.

'_He must have known something weird like that would happen,_' the auburn haired healer thought as another small wound appeared, this time on Ichigo's cheek before it too faded away, healed by her powers.

He was close, he could tell that much. It wouldn't be long before he finally reached his son. However, something stopped him and he hesitated.

It was Shinji and Lisa. Isshin recognized both of them well. They had been friends at one point and frankly, the former Shinigami hoped it could still be that way. But what really caught Ichigo's father's attention was the fact that the two Vizards were carrying an obviously unconscious Renji and Rukia in the direction of Urahara's shop, or at least that's what Isshin believed.

The elder Kurosaki hesitated, glancing first in the direction he had been going, then in the direction of the two Vizards before sighing and deciding to follow them. He was no longer worried about his son, for he could feel the slow but steady increase of his reiatsu, which was proof enough for him that the orange haired teen would be alright. So his priority lay with Rukia and Renji. And while Isshin was well aware of the fact that Tessai was a very good kidō healer, he doubted the former kidō corps captain would refuse his help in this case.

And even if he did, it wasn't like Isshin cared, for he knew how his son would react if something were to happen to his Shinigami friends, especially Rukia. And he wanted to avoid that at any cost. For Rukia's and Ichigo's sake… as well as his own.

Gienzo jumped back, barely avoiding another slash aimed at his throat as he caught the blade of the second, sealed Zanpakutō with his bare hand before it could penetrate his head. After throwing the sword back at its owner, the Arrancar sonido-ed out of the way of the next attack, stopping behind his opponent, albeit at a safe distance. The Ichigo-lookalike slowly turned around with a smirk on his face.

"That it?" he asked mockingly and Gienzo had to concentrate really hard in order not to let his anger take over and attack his opponent. He hadn't used his Resurrección or even called forth his real Zanpakutō, but he wasn't planning to. He knew that he was fighting a losing battle. Not because the other was stronger, but because of the fact that no matter how many times the Aniquilador slashed at him, the black and white Ichigo was still in top form.

Gienzo didn't have a hard time figuring out why that was though. He remembered that all injuries this boy in front of him sustained went, for whatever reason, to Ichigo's body. And the orange haired teen wasn't here fighting. There was a good chance he was somewhere else, recovering from his fight with someone healing every single wound Gienzo inflicted on the Hollow like entity in front of him. It was as if he was fighting a machine which produced Shinigami non-stop, always recreating two in place of one he cut down. In other words, it could go on like that forever. And a never-ending fight was not something the Arrancar was looking forward to, especially not in his fatigued state; Only now did he really notice how much the fight with Ichigo had drained him reiatsu-wise, weakening his endurance considerably. Gienzo clicked his tongue in annoyance, but if he knew something other Aniquilador had a problem understanding, it was knowing when to retreat.

"Don't think this is over," the Arrancar said as it ripped a Garganta open behind him. "We'll meet again. And next time, I'll make sure to kill you. Tell Ichigo I'm looking forward to our next fight. And to killing him."

Before Tsuchiro could say anything else, the Arrancar disappeared as the Garganta closed behind him and he vanished into the vast, deserted realms of Hueco Mundo. Shirosaki cursed colorfully before shaking his head, turning around and slowly making his way back to the park where his King was, most likely, still recovering.

Ichigo stirred again as he started hearing voices around himself. They were mostly whispers and sounded pretty worried too. But who were the people surrounding him? He couldn't know for sure, he didn't recognize them. They were talking too quietly. So he decided to open his eyes in order to see who it was that was talking all around him.

"Kurosaki-kun!" he heard as soon as his eyelids moved, recognizing Orihime's voice instantly. As he slowly opened his eyes completely and glanced around, he saw Ishida, Chad, Neliel and Nigaru around him as well.

He groaned as he sat up slowly, Orihime's healing barrier disappearing from around him. His eyes went wide when he noticed two people he didn't remember seeing before he passed out sitting next to him.

"Kensei," he said with disbelief. "Hachi… What the Hell are you doing here?"

Ishida relaxed slightly. Considering how he was acting, it was certain that Kurosaki knew and was probably friends with these people, whoever they were. It was a minor detail he wasn't sure about up until now and it sat him on edge. But since Ichigo definitely knew them, Uryū let his hostility go, even though he still didn't like what he saw about an hour back, as the giant stranger slid a Hollow mask on. The young Quincy never suspected there might be more people like Kurosaki who could Hollowfy, but then again, he should have expected it. Ichigo had to learn it from someone after all.

Kensei felt a vein pop on his forehead and before anyone could stop him, he punched Ichigo in the back of his head, making the teen lean forward slightly from the unexpected impact before he rubbed the now sore place.

"What do you mean, what we are doing here?" the former ninth division captain asked, his annoyance much more clear in his voice now that he was sure the Hybrid was alright. "We came looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Ichigo asked, his eyes widening a fraction as he lowered his hand again. "Why?"

"You want me to hit you again?" Kensei asked back, growing angrier and angrier by the second, although it had nothing to do with Ichigo's behavior. "As far as I know, you were supposed to take a break today, _not_ fight the most intense battle you fought in a while, much less a fight to the death!" he yelled and Ichigo frowned.

"Well, it's not like I planned it," he shot back, now getting annoyed himself.

"Looks like you woke up, King," a new voice joined the conversation. Amber eyes widened again as Ichigo swiftly turned around and saw, as expected, his alter ego walking towards him with a smirk on his face. The Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid could hear Kensei whispering a surprised 'what the Hell?' and saw Hachi's somewhat surprised expression, but he paid them no mind as he quickly stood up and faced his other self completely.

"Tsuchiro," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. Maybe it was because of the smirk his other self was wearing or something else, but somehow, Ichigo knew that all went well. Still, he couldn't help but ask: "how's Rukia?"

Tsuchiro opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted as another, this time female voice cut in.

"She's fine. We took her to Urahara's. Tessai and your father are taking care of her and Renji now."

Ichigo whipped his head to the side and saw Shinji and Lisa approaching. The blond had his usual, childish grin on his face and Lisa the serious look he knew so well, but their eyes told Ichigo something that made him smile back. 'Glad you see you're OK,' was what he read in their gazes.

"My Dad? What was he doing at Urahara's?" Ichigo asked suddenly when Lisa's words sank in, his hand abstinently reaching for his sword which Tsuchiro handed to him without protest.

"He bumped into us in the shop. Probably saw us on our way there and thought he'll be of more use there, helping Rukia, than here. Guess even with his shitty capability of sensing reiatsu, he could feel you were going to be fine," Shinji replied with a sly grin as Ichigo summoned Tsuchiro back into his Inner World and sheathing Zangetsu on his back, not really paying attention to what he was doing as he was focused on what Shinji was saying. He sighed, taking a mental note to thank his dad the next time he saw him.

"Now Ichigo," the orange head looked up quickly when he noticed the serious tone of Shinji's voice. He hadn't noticed when the man had gotten within an inch away from his face though. "Would you mind telling us what you were thinking?" he asked. The ex-Shinigami blinked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, practically bowing before the blond Vizard as he punched him in the head, much like Kensei did a few minutes prior. A small 'ow' escaped him, but was lost in Shinji's loud answer.

"The barrier, what else? What were you thinking blocking us out like that?" Shinji almost yelled, and Ichigo noted it was the first, and he hoped the last, time when he saw Shinji truly mad. He had a feeling he knew why the blond was mad though. And he wasn't wrong.

"Sorry," he said as he straightened himself up again. "But if I hadn't done that, he would have left without even fighting and gone straight for Rukia. I had to stop him and had no time to wait for anyone. What else was I supposed to do?"

Shinji sighed. He understood what Ichigo meant and he knew the teen had only done what first came to mind and made sense. But that didn't mean the blond, or any other of the Vizards, was happy about it, much less about the barely avoided, possible outcome.

"Just don't do something this stupid again. We told you, you can count on our help whenever you need it, so quit fighting alone. You're part of the family now, whether you like it or not," he said simply. Ichigo froze and simply stared at him. What Shinji said was mostly nothing new to him, as he heard that a lot of times from the blond man. And he knew the Vizards considered him a friend, and a very close one too. But to hear Shinji say he was part of their family… that was something he never expected to hear. Somehow, he felt happy to hear it.

"Thanks, Shinji," he answered and the blond man grinned at him again, before slapping his head for the second time.

"That was for making us worry," he said as if reading Ichigo's very thoughts.

Inoue, Ishida and Chad watched the scene unfold, all three with surprised faces. Of course, Inoue knew that Ichigo had a more or less friendly relationship with these people… but she didn't expect it to be _that_ friendly and familiar. It wasn't what it looked like when she first came to the hideout to look for him.

And of course, there was still the issue of the Hollow mask rests glued to Ichigo's head.

"I need to talk to you about something," Ichigo suddenly said, sounding serious. Kensei raised an eyebrow, but the teen stayed silent.

"Strategy meeting?" Lisa asked, only guessing what this 'something' was about. Ichigo had found out something and was hoping to figure out a plan with the help of his friends. Her thoughts were confirmed when the orange haired teen nodded.

"Let's go then, Itsygo," Nel said in a surprisingly mature tone for a five-year-old girl (at least in the human's eyes) as she jumped onto his shoulder and Nigaru nodded his agreement. The group turned around and was about to leave when someone coughed behind them.

"Don't you think there's something you need to explain to us, Kurosaki?" Uryū asked in such a calm tone he even surprised himself. After all, not many could be calm after finding out their friend - whom they have thought to be dead for a year now - survived… only because he became a Hollow.

Ichigo froze when he heard the Quincy speak. He had forgotten his friends were there because they hadn't said anything while he spoke with the Vizards. But what really made his blood freeze in his veins was the fact that he wasn't wearing his cloak, much less his hood, since it was burnt to ashes during the fight once he threw it off. That meant that this time, there would be no hiding and he had to tell the truth… _again_. Not that his friends haven't figured the most part out by themselves anyway. He sighed, but didn't turn around, speaking to Shinji instead.

"Is it OK for them to come along?" he asked quietly. Since he had to tell them everything, might as well tell them more about what was going on with the Tough Masks and what he was planning to do. But without the Vizards approval, he wouldn't dare to take them to the hideout, which during the time he lived there had become as much of a home as the Kurosaki clinic always was.

When Shinji nodded his agreement, as did the other three, Ichigo looked over his shoulder at his three human friends before mentioning at them with his head to follow.

The three humans stared at their friend who was standing in front of them as he finished his story. Uryū adjusted his glasses as he looked up at Ichigo from his seat around the eating table.

"Let me get this straight, Kurosaki," he said calmly. "So, you killed Ichimaru Gin, but died I the process, became a Hollow and only regained your true consciousness as the Kurosaki we know once you evolved into a Vasto Lordes, right?"

Ichigo nodded.

"And once you came here, you tried to hide the truth from everyone as you helped us out with those insanely strong Hollow who, as you say, came looking for Kuchiki-san, right?"

Ichigo nodded again.

"And you didn't tell us that right off the bat because…?"

"Try to guess," Ichigo replied quietly. Ishida was smart, so he would probably figure it out, especially since he hated Hollows, pretty much like everyone surrounding him, even though the Vizards had an Inner Hollow of their own. Just by looking into his eyes and everyone else's Ichigo knew he wasn't mistaken: they had figured out the answer to that one.

"But you know we won't judge you because of that. It's not like you could control it, Kurosaki-kun. It just happened," Orihime said, trying to sound reassuring. Chad grunted in agreement and Ishida nodded. Ichigo stayed silent, so Uryū decided to continue.

"Inoue-san is right, Kurosaki. And now that I think pretty much everyone has tried to pound it into your head, I'll ask this: why do you still refuse to tell Kuchiki-san the truth?"

Ichigo had expected that question and frankly, he was surprised it hadn't arrived sooner. Still, he couldn't help the defeated sigh that escaped his lips.

"Because of that," he said as he grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled it down, exposing the tattoo in the form of the number one. He didn't have to look up to see the surprise in his friends' eyes. He could feel it in their reiatsu.

"I might be a hybrid, but that doesn't change where my place is. We all know I can't stay here because I'm dead," he said, ignoring Ishida's murmurs about the Shinigami and Vizards being dead too yet staying in the Living World. "I can't go to Soul Society because of being partly Hollow, and while it's true that I'm partly Shinigami, it's also true that most of my reiatsu is Hollow like. You must have noticed that." His friends nodded in response, and he sighed again.

"Which means the place I technically belong to is Hueco Mundo. Not somewhere where Rukia could be safe or where she's even allowed to go except for a mission, but I doubt they send Shinigami into that realm too often," he continued as he finally slumped down in a chair of his own between Shinji and Lisa.

"I just don't want Rukia to suffer more than she already does. I don't want her to feel the pain of knowing that I'm alive, but she probably won't be able to see me ever again."

Ishida opened his mouth to protest. He wanted to say that this kind of knowledge was better than to think that a person you loved was dead. But he stopped as a hand took his and gave him a squeeze. He turned to his left and saw Orihime smiling sadly and shaking her head no. As if wanting to say that Kurosaki was doing the right thing… which Uryū noticed after a few minutes of calm thinking was most likely the case.

Noticing how Ichigo's mood dropped drastically and that he wouldn't look up at anyone, Lisa tried to comfort him by laying a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her from his slouched position and smiled lightly, trying to assure her he was OK. She didn't believe him in the slightest, but she smiled back nonetheless and let her hand fall to her side, deciding that leaving him alone for a while would be best.

After a few minutes of silence, Shinji stood up, gaining everyone's attention.

"OK, now that the explanations are over, let's get to why we really got together like that," he said, his tone once again getting serious. He sat back down and looked at Ichigo who sighed and straightened up.

"So, Ichigo… I suppose you have a bit of new information to share, since you wanted to talk about it," Shinji said, looking at the youngest member of the family. Ichigo nodded.

"Well, as we already suspected, I could confirm during my fight with the…" he hesitated a little, but decided to enter into detail a bit later, "…Hollow, that he was indeed targeting Rukia. As for why, all he said was that she had something his master had great need of," he sighed. Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"He told you that willingly?"

Ichigo shook his head.

"No. He said he'd tell me if I was worth the trouble of fighting him. Since he ended up telling me in the end, even though I doubt he thought I heard, I think he thought it was worth the trouble," the hybrid replied with a small, confident smirk before it vanished and he became serious again.

"I have no idea what it is that they want from Rukia or who that master of theirs is though. But I know that the guy I fought was insanely strong…"

"He must be if he defeated you. I mean, remember those flames we saw when he removed that bracelet of his?" Lisa interrupted, remembering how his reiatsu went through the roof (or almost) as he removed the bracelet that weakened him. Suddenly a thought entered her mind and her eyes snapped open. "Now that I think about it, where is it?" she asked suddenly and Ichigo reached into the depths of his Shihakusho and pulled it out, showing it to her.

"Here," he said as he placed it on the table. "I found it in the grass before we left and took it. But I don't have nearly enough reiatsu to feed it right now," he added jokingly and Lisa's eyes widened as she understood what he was implying. Not everyone did though.

"What is this bracelet for, Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked gently as she tried to lean in to get a better look at it, but leaned away when her eyes caught sight of the small mouths that covered the inner side.

"It's a device that eats up reiatsu. I have it on most of the time to hide my reiatsu better."

"You mean to weaken yourself while you wear it. If I remember correctly, this thing doesn't stock your overflow reiatsu, it eats it up, doesn't it?" Kensei corrected and Ichigo nodded.

"You mean it's a… thing… feeding on reiatsu?" Ishida asked in disbelief as he stared at the metallic thing, unaware of the hungry mouths on the other side of the metal.

"Pretty much," Ichigo replied.

"And you wear that thing and weaken yourself willingly?"

"He could have accidentally killed a few citizens of Karakura if he didn't," Hachi explained calmly and a stunned silence fell again as Ishida tried to imagine just how much reiatsu Ichigo had _now_ when he was a hybrid, considering the amount he had when he was just a simple _human_.

"Anyway, back on topic," Kensei finally said and Ichigo nodded.

"Well, as I said, the guy I fought was insanely strong. Much stronger than any of the Espada… and I would go even as far as saying he's as strong as Aizen, or at least not far off," Ichigo stated gravely. "And the fact that there's probably more than just him doesn't make it any better."

Heavy silence fell as everyone present absorbed Ichigo's words.

"What makes you say that? Did that Arrancar tell you that?" Shinji asked as the silence dragged on too long for his liking.

"Indirectly, yeah," Ichigo nodded. "When he asked me my name and told me his, he presented himself as the Aniquilador de las memorias, which I assume is his rank. Why have a rank if he was the only one? I think it's something akin to the numbers the Espada were… are ranked with," Ichigo corrected himself when he remembered that he was partly an Espada too, in a way at least, and he very much had a rank.

"Any idea what that kind of rank might mean? Or how high he is in their hierarchy?" Shinji pressed, but Ichigo shook his head.

"I didn't find out anything more," he said.

"OK then… so what do we do now that we have a bit more of an idea what's going on?" Kensei asked impatiently.

"I'd say we don't have enough data to come up with any sort of plan," Ishida said as he readjusted his glasses. "But then again, waiting for another guy like that Arrancar to appear again isn't really a smart move either."

"Then what do we do, Ishida-kun?" Inoue asked, knowing very well that the young Quincy almost always had a plan of some sort.

"We need to somehow find out what we're up against," he said simply, but when he said nothing more, everyone understood that he, just like everyone else, had no idea how to do that.

"We'd have to go to Hueco Mundo and investigate the problem at its source."

All head turned rapidly to Ichigo who had been the one to say that and stared at him like he had grown a second head.

"Judging by what you told us just now, if one of us were to go and accidentally find the source, it would be nothing short of suicide," Shinji said, his tone saying that he dismissed the idea, for everyone understood that they were not ready to try. They wouldn't be strong enough to survive if they had to fight.

"Then I'll go."

All color drained from Inoue's face as she stared at Ichigo. No. He couldn't be serious… he couldn't.

"Out of the question," Shinji said sternly and everyone else except Ichigo agreed. The orange haired teen scoffed and stood up.

"Why not?"

"Because it's suicide!"

Ichigo sighed as he _tried_ to keep his temper in check.

"Look Shinji, I know what I'm doing and…"

"No you don't. And we won't let you go and get yourself killed."

Well, so much for keeping his temper in check.

"Then what else do you suppose we should do? Going to Hueco Mundo is the only way to find anything out! So why won't you…"

Ichigo stopped when he noticed the ground trembled under his feet and it took him a while to notice it was his own spiritual power that caused it. He didn't even notice when he recovered it, much less when he started releasing it. So without a word he grabbed the bracelet that still lay on the table and put it around his arm. The trembling stopped immediately and Ichigo leaned on the wood as he adjusted himself to the feeling of limited strength again.

"Sorry," he said as he regained his composure. His friends only mumbled small 'it's alright's as they recovered from the sudden surge of heavy reiatsu coming from him that disappeared just as quickly.

"What I'm trying to say is, I'm the strongest out of the ten of us," he said as he mentioned himself, the four Vizards, Inoue, Ishida, Chad, Nel and Nigaru. "And I fought one of these guys before, so I have at least a little bit of an idea what I'm up against. If anyone has a chance to find anything out, it's me."

"But it's too risky, Ichigo," Hachi replied calmly. "It's true you fought one of them before, but don't forget you almost died in the process."

"If just one could get you down, what if you were discovered and had a whole group of them on your tail?" Lisa asked.

"Maybe I could have won if I used my Resurrección…" Ichigo started, but Kensei interrupted him.

"You're missing the point, Ichigo. It's not about winning or losing. It's about _surviving_. Don't you see that going there is pure _suicide_, damn it? No matter who it is who'd end up going," the former captain of squad nine snapped.

"You're the one missing the point Kensei. You said we needed data… to figure up what we're up against. During the war, Aizen was kind enough to provide us with this information. We knew there were three Captains and an army of Arrancar because he sent some Arrancar with big mouths to the Real World. We don't have that luxury now. So you suggest we just sit and wait? How can you prepare for something when you don't know what it is?" Ichigo shot back, and Shinji had to admit that the orange haired teen had quite a valid point. He sighed.

"Doesn't look like you'll change your mind, will you?" the blond man asked rhetorically, his tone already saying that he's giving up. And the glare Ichigo send his way only told him that he was right. He sighed again. "Fine, you win. But there's no way you're going alone."

"Nel will go with Itsygo," the young Arrancar said instantly and Shinji nodded, having already seen her in her adult form. Smiling happily, Nel exited her gigai and let it slump to the ground before she was engulfed in a cloud of pink smoke. When it cleared, a tall woman with waist-long green hair was standing in place of the young girl. Ishida and Chad, being the only ones who never saw Nel transform but knew her from their escapade to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime, were the only ones to gawk.

"Are you leaving immediately, Kurosaki-kun?" the auburn haired healer said as she stood up too. The orange haired hybrid nodded as he looked at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah. The sooner the better," he answered as he smiled gratefully at Neliel as she came up to his side.

"Take Lisa with you too," Shinji said, making Ichigo lose his smile as his expression hardened.

"No," he said firmly as the female Vizard stood up as well. "Nel and I will take care of it. I need to ask you to take care of Karakura… and of Rukia for me while I'm gone," he said, his expression softening again when he thought of the raven haired Shinigami. Lisa was about to protest, as was Shinji and everyone else, but they stopped themselves when they heard his request and saw the look in his eyes. Sighing, Lisa sat down again and noticed the soft smile Ichigo gave her.

"Thanks," he said before his expression hardened once again and he stretched out one of his hands, preparing to tear a Graganta open in front of him. Then, in one swift motion, the black hole opened like a big, black mouth threatening to swallow him whole.

"Let's go," he said and Nel nodded, jumping into the blackness that would lead them back into the realm of the Hollows. Ichigo was about to follow her when Shinji called his name again to stop him. Slightly irritated now, Ichigo glanced at the blond Vizard over his shoulder, but didn't say anything when he noticed the serious look in those brown eyes.

"Don't you dare get killed," the blond man said seriously.

"I won't," Ichigo replied shortly before running after Nel and letting the mouth like door close behind him. '_I won't_,' he repeated in his thoughts as he ran straight ahead towards the realm of the Hollows, catching up with Nel in a matter of seconds before they ran side by side.

'_I definitely won't._'

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**Well, here you have it. A bit shorter than the last one (around 12 600 words for those who are curious) but I still hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Anyway, see ya next chappie :3**


	13. Suspicions

**Yes, I know, that was a freakish long wait. Sorry. Please don't kill me for it. I have an excuse called REAL LIFE. It's just that a lot of things piled up one after another an I was unable to update sooner. Won't bother you with the details though. Just know that I'm sorry and that I hope that you'll stick with the fic anyway.**

**Also, just so you know, ****no matter how long sometimes waiting can get, don't you ever dare think that I abandoned this story. I will never allow it to be the case. It WILL be finished, that I swear to you on whatever you want me to swear on.**** But, I also must warn you, updates won't be really often from now on, a) because of real life and b) we're entering the second Arc of the story, the Hueco Mundo Arc, which is sadly the one I thought out the least, so putting things together so that they make sense and aren't lousy is probably going to take some time. Sorry.**

**Alright, I'm done boring you to death. On with the fic.**

_**Standard disclaimer and reader's key required.**_

**Thousand thanks to **_**StrawBerryFlutterBy **_**for beta-ing this chapter.**

* * *

_Chapter 13 – Suspicions_

"So, they retreated?" Yoruichi asked.

"_It_ did. It was only one." Isshin corrected. "At least according to those who fought it," he added, mindful of not throwing any names in, in case Rukia and Renji woke up and heard something they were not supposed to hear.

"And _he_ went after that Hollow?" the Goddess of Flash kept asking. Ichigo's father nodded.

"More or less. He isn't following it, he's looking for it. It's more of a recon mission than anything else… though I fear there will be a lot of fighting involved."

"Knowing him, probably yes. As long as he succeeds and comes back alive though, I think there's nothing we should complain about," Kisuke said calmly, sipping a cup of tea. Isshin grinned at him.

"He's too stubborn to die so easily, you should both know that by now," he said, everyone knowing what he refrained from saying: he is my son after all.

"Who is?" a new voice joined the conversation and the three adults turned around to see none other than Rukia Kuchiki coming out of her room, though for how long she was awake was a mystery nobody wanted to solve. Sudden silence fell over the room.

"Just a good friend of mine," Uarahara finally stated, still sipping his tea calmly as if nothing were wrong. Rukia shot him a skeptic look before deciding to let the matter drop for a few more moments. It would be bad to scare off the bird before hearing its song, wouldn't it?

"What happened?" she asked instead. "I remember fighting a Hollow alongside Renji, but I woke up here. What happened?"

"You sure it was _just_ a simple Hollow, Rukia-chan?" Isshin answered her question with one of his own. Rukia raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth about to retort… when she stopped herself. Was she sure? No. If anything, she was sure the Hollow was more than just that. It's reiatsu felt weird and overall it was too strong and too humanoid to be a simple Hollow.

"It looked a lot like an Arrancar. Maybe even… an Espada," she admitted and the three elder Shinigami nodded gravely.

"That's what _they_ said," Yoruichi confirmed. "Though they admitted they weren't sure. That's why they're doing recon, right?"

"Who is?" Rukia asked again. "And how did I get here, Urahara?"

The blond ex-captain exchanged looks with the other two before sighing and answering her.

"Some friends of ours are helping us out. They were the ones who helped you and Abarai-san when the enemy overpowered you," he explained. Rukia frowned. She didn't recall anyone she knew or could associate with Urahara coming to her and Renji's aid back at the park. Then again, she didn't exactly recall winning the battle either. One of the last things she remembered was talking to Ichigo again.

"What friends?" she asked suspiciously, just as Yoruichi stood up to leave. The cat-like woman didn't even bother to say goodbye, only shot a sly grin at the blond scientist and the black haired former Shinigami that pretended to be human.

"You probably met them at least once… before the war," Urahara finally answered. It was impossible to hide everything from Rukia. The Vizards and Ichigo surely wouldn't mind if he told her at least a little bit of what was going on, would they? '_Well, so long as I don't send little Miss Kuchiki on their heads asking questions they have no way of answering unless they want Ichigo to kill them, I guess they wouldn't mind,_' he thought to himself.

"They helped Ichigo become stronger and to control his… problem, if you recall," he added. "And they helped us fight Aizen, paying a high prize themselves for their revenge."

It didn't take Rukia long to figure out who he was talking about.

"You meant this weird group of people that taught Ichigo how to use his mask? They're helping us out again?" Rukia asked. This time it was Isshin that answered her questions however.

"Yes, the Vizards decided to help us again…"

"Why?" Rukia couldn't help but ask. Why would they interfere again? Sure, if they helped her and Renji get out of that last battle alive she was grateful, but why did they keep butting in? It wasn't their fight anymore, was it? While she was aware that they had some sort of connection to Aizen that justified their will to fight (Ichigo was _kind enough_ to tell her that much about them), she didn't think they could possibly be somehow involved this time. However, it seemed she was wrong.

"They have their reasons." The answer was short, but Rukia definitely caught what Ichigo's father was implying. "Some of them went on recon to find out what exactly is going on. They told us they'd tell us when they know something."

"I still don't get it. If they're somehow involved and want to fight, that's fine. But I know they're strong. They have the same kind of power Ichigo had. They must be strong. So why alliance themselves with us?" she asked.

"Is it not better to fight the unknown knowing you have at least one ally watching your back?" Urahara asked her calmly. When he saw she didn't truly understand what he meant, he explained. "We don't know what we're facing. They don't either. But they want to fight it, like we know we have to. If they get involved, Soul Society could get on to them. I think you're aware that the Captain Commander isn't fond of the Vizards and sees them as traitors. So they need someone who would watch their back from Soul Society, who, as brainless as it sounds, could attack them, while we need them as they are the only people who have a little more knowledge about the enemy and certainly more capability to fight them right now. And don't you dare disagree, Miss Kuchiki," he added quickly when he saw the young fukutaichō was about to object. "Surely you remember how you got almost killed in your last fight?"

That was exaggerated, Kisuke knew. The Vizards had, through Ichigo's human friends who thus became involved as well (not that they wouldn't have sooner or later anyway), shared with the three ex-Shinigami all they had so far figured out and all their hypothesizes. As well as their plans, to which Isshin would have probably objected if given the chance, since his son had already been defeated once by one of those Hollows. Too bad Ichigo had already left without waiting for his father's approval. Now all that was left for the elder Kurosaki to do was wait and believe in his son. Though he could try and go after the orange haired hybrid to Hueco Mundo, Kisuke knew he wouldn't. Isshin couldn't risk leaving his two girls completely alone. He just had to have faith and wait for now.

Rukia pursed her lips at the reminder of her defeat, but didn't say anything more. Instead she decided to sit down at the table and help herself to the tea Urahara had already prepared for her. She couldn't help but think that both Isshin and Urahara were hiding something. They were telling the truth so far, but the young Kuchiki could feel deep down that they weren't saying all of it. They were leaving something out. Something important, if not even vital. And she was going to suck it out of them.

"What _exactly_ happened after I was knocked out?" the young Kuchiki asked, earning herself a shrug from both Shinigami.

"What do you suppose happened, Miss Kuchiki?" Urahara answered with a question of his own. Rukia glared at him. Why couldn't he just answer the question?

"I would think the Hollow tried to finish what it started," she said. "But apparently it must have been interrupted?" Of course, she phrased that as a question on purpose.

"Indeed, the Hollow did try to finish its job," Isshin said, though Rukia couldn't help the feeling that the both of them, her and him, didn't think or understand the same thing when saying 'finish its job'.

"And who was it that stopped it?" Rukia asked. Silence answered her and the young fukutaichō could tell that both men were uncomfortable. Frankly, they seemed like they didn't know how to answer. Rukia narrowed her eyes. There was definitely something fishy going on here.

"Well… as far as Inoue-san told us it must have been one of the Vizards," Urahara finally said, avoiding a direct answer. He could hardly tell her Ichigo had been the one… unless he wanted to die an early death of course.

"Orihime did?" Rukia asked. Were Ichigo's friends somehow involved in all this too? "Since when does she know the Vizards?"

"Oh, she met them before the war once or twice when she came to see how Kurosaki-kun was doing in his training back then. I suppose she got close with them and stayed in contact," Kisuke replied easily, glad to have her change the topic. He was also eager to leave, especially with Isshin regarding him the way he did. The older Kurosaki obviously didn't approve of his tactic. Now the young Kuchiki would without a doubt go to Orihime and probably the rest of Ichigo's friends for information. And that meant they had to more grasp on what she would and would not find out.

But the former Captain of the twelfth division wasn't worried, for he was sure Ichigo's friends would say to Rukia nothing they weren't supposed to say. Ichigo was sure to have asked them and Urahara was sure his friends understood his reasons… better than he himself did anyway. He kept quiet only because he feared the younger Shinigami's wrath. That and he owed him. A lot.

"Well, that was a very nice chat, but if you both would excuse me, I have something to take care of," and with that Urahara more than gladly left Isshin alone with the young Kuchiki. Rukia stared after him for a while and her brows furrowed even further.

"I'm sorry, Rukia-chan, but I'm afraid I need to leave as well. The girls are waiting," Isshin said and before she could even utter a good-bye he was gone too.

'_Now I'm positive. They're definitely hiding something. And it looks like whatever it is, they won't be spilling the beans easily. But what could they be hiding?_' she thought as she sighed. Maybe she needed to pay Ichigo's friends, Orihime in particular, a visit?

Sighing again, Rukia stood up and walked into the room next to the one she was sleeping in. As expected, Renji was there. What she didn't expect was for him to grin at her from where he lay.

"That was some nice questioning there," he said and Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"How much did you hear?"

"Pretty much all of it."

"And what do you think about it?"

"Considering they hardly answered any of your questions save for the first one? They obviously didn't want to answer them," Renji replied as Rukia plopped down next to his futon.

"So you think they're hiding something too, huh?"

"Obviously."

"And what will we do about it?"

"Find out from someone who will be more willing to talk?"

"Like who?"

"Ichigo's friends. You know them, they know you, I think they know me more or less too, and they're sure to talk more than Urahara just did. And I have a feeling Urahara didn't lie when he hinted at them knowing something."

"How are your wounds?" Rukia asked, changing the topic rather abruptly. Not that Renji minded.

"I'm fine. Should be up and about by the end of the day," he said, repeating what Tessai told him a few minutes prior. The former Kidō-corps Captain sure was good at healing kidō, all the other destructive and binding spells aside.

Rukia nodded as she stood up and went towards the door. She stopped at the entrance and looked at Renji over her shoulder.

"I'm going to see if Orihime and the others are willing to share some information. We'll decide our next course of action when I get back," she said simply then left without waiting for an answer from the resting redhead.

As she ran towards the park where she sensed Orihime and the others were, she couldn't help but wonder. Unbeknownst to him, Urahara had already given her a bit of precious information as to who the person who had most likely saved her was. But what she knew didn't please her one bit.

It had to be someone powerful, at least Captain-level, if not stronger. And he had to have ties to both Urahara and the Vizards. That person might be also connected somehow to Ichigo's friends, seeing as they were involved, if Urahara's (probably intended) slip-up was anything to go by. Isshin's presence at Urahar's shop could also be interpreted in two ways. He was either worried about her as his third daughter, as he still insisted to call her, or he had also a connection to her mysterious savior.

Knowing all that, Rukia could only think of one person who would fit all these criteria. And it was Ichigo. But it couldn't be. Ichigo was dead. Renji had seen his death with his own eyes, had seen his body disintegrate…

'_Wait a moment,_' Rukia thought suddenly and repeated the phrase again. '_Renji had seen him die and had seen his body disintegrate right after that… but… Shinigami corpses don't disintegrate immediately, do they?_'

As far as she remembered, not one Shinigami she had ever seen die had disintegrated immediately. It always lasted at least a day or two. Enough to give them at least a semblance of a burial, though they mostly vanished during the ceremony and the graves stayed empty. But still, they never disintegrated right after dying. Had that been the case, she couldn't have been able to bring Kaien-dono's body back to his family and she still remembered all too well the night she did.

But that would mean…

'_Ichigo is… alive?_' Her heart wept with joy at this thought and a tear or two almost managed to fall from her eyes, but she refused to let them. The initial joy also vanished quickly as she continued her musings.

'_But if he's alive… then why didn't he come to me?_ _Or at least to his family?_' the Ichigo she knew wouldn't let everyone he cherished think he was dead if he wasn't. He wouldn't be able to do it. He had always wanted to protect his loved ones and his friends from any harm and pain, be it physical or emotional. He would have never willingly been the source of that pain. Which meant he just _had_ to be gone, as much as Rukia hated the thought.

"_**That, or he just couldn't come back even if he wanted to,"**_ a familiar voice rang in her head and Rukia's violet orbs widened a little. Sode no Shirayuki always loved to talk to her in the most random moments, but the ice-type Zanpakutō rarely spoke of anything else than fighting and Rukia herself: how she behaved, how she fought and the like. Shirayuki was her teacher and most of the time she behaved as such, even though the two of them were good friends.

'_What do you mean, Shirayuki?_' Rukia asked, more than slightly bewildered. How could Ichigo be unable to come back? That was downright impossible. When the idiot wanted to do something, as irrational as it sometimes was, he always found a way to do it. It was what she loved most about him and what she envied the most at the same time.

"_**Exactly what I just said, Rukia,"**_ Shirayuki replied calmly, though her voice was sad. Slowly, the feeling that the spirit new something she didn't crept into her head. But another part of her soul wouldn't hide anything from her, would she?

"_**I know nothing definite. I am only speculating, just like you are,"**_ the spirit said and Rukia sighed mentally.

'_You're a part of me. So you have to know him as well as I do. And we both know that when Ichigo wants to do something, he always finds a way to do it,_' Rukia argued and she heard Shirayuki sigh in response.

"_**There are certainly things even he cannot overcome. He isn't almighty Rukia. He isn't the Soul King and he's even less a God."**_

'_I know that._'

"_**Do you?"**_

'_What makes you think I don't?_'

"_**Rukia stop behaving like a little child."**_ Any retort died on Rukia's mental tongue. Shirayuki was right. She was acting like a hormonal teenage girl who couldn't accept the fact she had been dumped. What the Hell was wrong with her?

'_I'm sorry,_' she thought and she could swear she 'felt' Shirayuki smile.

"_**You needn't apologize, Rukia,"**_ the Zanpakutō-spirit said calmly before retreating back deeper into Rukia's mind. She had reached her goal; Rukia was finally more like her old self again and was more likely to think logically instead of thinking what her heart wanted her to think.

Now snapped back to her normal self, the thirteenth squad's fukutaichō started thinking again. She was at the park already, but didn't feel like talking to Ichigo's friends just yet. She needed to think and sort out what she knew and what she could only speculate about, first. That way, she could ask more precise questions to the humans about to be questioned.

'_Assuming Ichigo survived somehow… what could have possibly made it impossible for him to seek me out? Or his family, which would be more likely,_' she thought, remembering the way she treated him that day before he left on the mission that had, as far as she knew, proven fatal for him. If after that he decided to vanish from her life forever she couldn't blame him even if it hurt. But he had no reason nor will to leave his family for good, of that much the raven haired girl was certain. So if Ichigo really was alive, then it must have been like Shirayuki had said; something must keep him from coming back from wherever he is, which was most likely Hueco Mundo.

Could it be that he was simply trapped over there like Ashido had been in the Menos Forest? After all, the only way to leave Hueco Mundo was through a Garganta and only Urahara, Kurotsuchi and Hollows could open those. And it wasn't like Soul Society sent Shinigami over there often, so the possibility was rather accurate… _if_ Ichigo was still alive that is.

And if it wasn't that, what else could it be?

On the other hand, this hypothesis did nothing to explain the whole disintegrating thing Renji mentioned. Rukia sighed. No matter which side she looked at it from, she couldn't come up with any reason to Ichigo's 'disappearance' other than death. But at the same time, thanks to thinking it over, she couldn't help but think that this wasn't the truth either. But then what happened to him?

'_I wish I could just ask him,_' Rukia thought before her eyes snapped open. That actually wasn't that bad of an idea… Except that right now, her 'connection' to Ichigo, whatever it truly was, seemed to be out of the question. The thirteenth squad's fukutaichō also had the feeling that connection would be out of service for a longer while now, though she could not explain why she was so sure of it. She could not explain a lot of things she started thinking since this morning actually, she noticed.

Sighing again, Rukia started walking once more. Thinking about all this by herself obviously wasn't working, so she had to hope that Ichigo's friends could provide her with some answers that would bring her to at least some semblance of an answer to her biggest question: what has truly happened to Ichigo? Somehow, she started to doubt he was truly dead.

She halted her steps and thoughts as she got closer to the group of humans. What made her stop was the gigantic orange dome surrounding the area. No doubt Orihime's doing. But Rukia knew that a shield of that size wasn't meant to reject the reality of an injury. If it was, it wouldn't have been covering almost one kilometer of the park, except if Inoue's patient was a giant like Jidanbo. A possibility Rukia seriously doubted.

But then, what reality was the auburn haired girl rejecting? Something clicked in Rukia's brain all of a sudden. '_Could Inoue be rejecting the reality of a part of the park being destroyed in a battle? Could she be repairing damage caused by the last battle?_' the raven haired Shinigami thought as she glanced around. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That was not where she and Renji fought that Hollow.

'_Then again… it didn't seem to be in top form when it found us. Frankly, it had looked like it had been in a battle not too long before… and a fierce one too,_' Rukia thought as the image of the Hollow as it first appeared before them jumped back into her mind.

How could she not have seen it? The evidence was all there. That Hollow must have been fighting someone before coming to her and Renji. And it was most likely here, since, as far as Rukia could deduce, Inoue was destroying the evidence of the fight this very instant. Question was… who was it that fought the Hollow before it came to her? And why didn't she or Renji or even their Soul Pagers pick anything up?

"I didn't know you could use your powers on whole areas, Inoue," Rukia said calmly as she decided that Orihime definitely held some answers she had to extract. Te girl was alone right now and Rukia was well aware that out of all of Ichigo's human friends, she was the easiest to get information from. Not only because she was a girl and the closest to Rukia (Ichigo aside), but also thanks to her big mouth. Getting information from her should be easy.

"K-Kuchiki-san?" Orihime said startled as she turned around to face the Soul Reaper. Rukia wasn't looking at her though. She was looking at the shield.

"Are you bringing the park back to the state it was before the fight?" she asked calmly and Orihime nodded.

"Ishida-kun and I thought that it would be better to 'destroy the evidence' and Sado-kun and Urahara-san agreed. We didn't want any panic to rise in town because of our battles after all and this one left quite the mess," the young healer answered cheerfully. Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"But this is not the place where Renji and I fought that Hollow," she stated, trying to keep a neutral tone of voice. Orihime stiffened visibly at the remark, but didn't say anything, so Rukia continued: "Now that I think about it, when it arrived it looked like it had been in a battle before. It had to be. But what I don't understand is… who was it that fought that Hollow before us?"

Inoue stayed silent, but the young fukutaichō could see in the girl's posture that she was nervous. Besides that, her corporal language spoke volumes to the raven haired girl about withheld information. It wasn't something Rukia was glad to notice, so automatically, her Kuchiki mask slipped into place.

"Stop the Sōten Kisshun, Inoue," Rukia commanded in a cold tone. She stepped next to the auburn haired healer and directed her violet eyes straight at her when Orihime hesitated. "I said stop using it," she almost snapped, just barely stopping her cold Kuchiki-exterior from taking hold of her. She knew this was the perfect way to lose friends, and lose Inoue's friendship was the last thing she wanted.

Reluctantly, Orihime allowed the fairies of her hairpins to return to their original state. In a matter of seconds, the barrier broke like glass revealing to the thirteenth squad's fukutaichō a site of destruction that, had it not been for Inoue's long work on it, could have easily compared to the battle grounds of Hueco Mundo and the fake Karakura during the war.

Multiple canyons caused by spiritual attacks of a great caliber, as well as deep holes made probably by cero or some similar attack scarred the ground. Many of the trees were cut down, burnt or otherwise destroyed, although most of them were already restored. Most of the damage done to the surroundings has in actuality already been rejected by Orihime. Rukia's eyes widened when she saw just how much destruction this battle must have caused, given how long Orihime had probably worked on it and how much was still left to do.

What hit the fukutaichō the most though was not the sight, but the _feel_ the battle ground gave her. While Orihime had no problem rejecting reality when it came to physical changes, like healing injuries or undoing damage done to the park, restoring or rejecting spiritual energy was a completely different matter. So even though the auburn haired girl was almost done where it came to hiding the fact a battle had occurred there from spiritually unaware people, she had done nothing about the spiritual evidence. As a result, as soon as the barrier broke down, Rukia was hit full force with the spiritual pressure lingering in the surroundings.

Much of the lingering energy the violet eyed Shinigami could easily indentify as the Hollows she and Renji had fought. What surprised her was the other reiatsu she felt, for it felt much like Ichigo's, even if it was much more Hollow-like. Rukia narrowed her eyes.

'_I… I could swear this is Ichigo's reiatsu,_' she thought as she entered the area that was shortly before hidden behind Orihime's barrier. She then sank to her knees and examined the ground in order to get an even better feeling of the lingering spiritual power. This only served to confirm her thoughts: the reiatsu was too similar to Ichigo's not to be his. But at the same time, for it to be his… it didn't make any sense at all!

Ichigo was dead and Rukia knew it. Nothing could deny it. Renji had seen it for God's sake. And yet… Rukia couldn't help the little light of hope that started to shine in her soul, nor the seed of doubt that had now been planted into her mind. She was absolutely certain it was Ichigo's reiatsu lingering there. She was sure she wasn't wrong. That had to mean that it was Ichigo who fought the Hollow before it had come to get her and Renji. And he couldn't have done that if he was dead now could he?

'_Which means he's alive. But then, how to explain what Renji saw?_' the young Kuchiki thought. And suddenly, her eyes widened in realization. The disintegrating that Renji had seen, the fact he hadn't returned even though now everything seemed to point to the fact he had survived and the spiritual signature she felt now - the much more _Hollow-like_ spiritual signature than she remembered – it all lead to one conclusion.

Ichigo… must have become a Hollow.

Rukia shook her head as the thought crossed her mind. It wasn't possible, was it? Ichigo died in his spirit form after all. Following any kind of logic, he should have been reincarnated as a human again, not re-enter the after-life as a Hollow. Of he became a Hollow, it would have meant he had died for a second time.

Then again, he had been human at first and as far as Rukia was aware he had not died* before that incident, so maybe he should re-enter the after-life properly. But if that was the case, why would he become a Hollow instead of going to Soul Society and becoming a full-fledged Shinigami?

"Uhm… Kuchiki-san?" the timid voice of Orihime Inoue broke Rukia's train of thought and the raven haired girl turned her head to look at the younger girl over her shoulder.

"Tell me, Inoue, do you know who fought here?" Rukia asked, this time with a much warmer and friendly tone than before. She received a sad, apologetic smile from the other girl in return. A smile that seemed to say 'sorry that I can't say more'.

"A friend of ours," the young healer replied vaguely before looking away. Rukia tried to make eye contact again, but the tentative ended in failure; Orihime was quite literally looking anywhere but in her direction. The Soul Reaper sighed.

"Who was this friend?" she pressed. She had to find out. She had to know.

But Orihime just shook her hand; her smile becoming sadder by the second.

"I'm afraid… that I can't tell you more, Kuchiki-san," she said quietly. Rukia stood up.

"Why?"

It was a short question which, in Rukia's opinion, demanded an equally short and easy answer. Orihime only bit her bottom lip though, and looked away without answering. So Rukia decided to bet everything on a single question that she hoped would make her friend talk.

"Is it crazy to think it had been Ichigo?"

At least that had made Inoue look at her and the look in her eyes was enough to give Rukia an answer. Except she had read the wrong one, for Orihime's eyes were full of surprise and wonder, which originated from the fact that Rukia had actually guessed right. However, Rukia interpreted those feelings completely wrong and her shoulders slumped. She should have known it wasn't possible. After all, Ichigo was dead.

Sighing and shaking her head, Rukia murmured a soft good-bye and turned to leave, but a hand on her shoulder made her stop.

"What makes you ask that, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked gently, though she had a pretty good idea. Still, while she knew she couldn't just come clean with the other girl and tell her the truth, because she had promised Kurosaki-kun she wouldn't, she didn't want to lie either.

"It just feels like his reiatsu, that's all," Rukia replied calmly as she looked around again. If only there was a way to verify her hypothesis she would do it. She wanted to be sure and as much as she trusted her own feeling and knew she'd recognize his spiritual pressure anywhere, she also learned not to be fooled easily by what can only be the hearts illusion. The best way of verification was of course to ask, but Orihime obviously wouldn't talk, a fact that seemed highly suspicious to the black haired Death God.

"It may feel like his, but it was not him that fought here, Kuchiki-san," a second voice joined the conversation and Orihime turned on her heel to see who it was, allowing Rukia to do the same.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime called. Uryū nodded his head in her direction before turning his gaze to Rukia again and repeating what he just said to her. When the Shinigami asked who it was then, the young Quincy stayed as vague as Orihime did, if not even more so, though in his case it was much less suspicious.

Ishida had come precisely with the purpose of talking to Rukia. He had felt her approaching Inoue's position and decided to go there, knowing that the healer would have difficulty talking to the Reaper on the subject he suspected she wanted to talk about. Orihime just wasn't cut out for lying to anyone, much less to her friends.

Now, Uryū wasn't too fond of lying either. But then again, he didn't see what he was doing as lying. He was just refusing to tell the whole truth. Besides, as far as Rukia was concerned, it really hadn't been Ichigo who fought the Aniquilador. The boy had changed so much that even though he was still who he had always been, he was at the same time no longer the Ichigo Rukia had known. He was himself and yet he was someone completely different. The Quincy didn't know exactly what had happened to the former Soul Reaper while he had been a Hollow and what he had done during that time, but whatever it was it had changed him.

Sure, he still was the same hot headed idiot that he always was and didn't change much at first, but Uryū had noticed the more or less subtle changes. Ichigo was now a lot calmer where it came to planning ahead, though he still lost his temper easily, and he often behaved like an experienced warrior. Ishida doubted Kurosaki had noticed it, but even though no second war had broken out yet, Ichigo was already, at least in their small group, chosen as the leader, even though he was one of the youngest fighters. Following any logic, it should have been Urahara or one of the Vizards who lead the current operation and the (probably) upcoming fight in general. And yet, it had been Ichigo, one of the youngest and truthfully, the least experienced warriors who was their captain. There was just something about him that asked for respect and obedience. It was something that hadn't been there before. Before, there had been something that made you follow him no matter what idiotism he was planning, on the condition of having a plan thought up by someone else. But now, there was just this something that made you not only follow him but obey every word, as long as the plan he thought up seemed rational. Something that, Ishida noticed with wonder, was actually much more frequent now than before.

'_It's like he's been reborn as a new person. On first glance he hadn't changed at all but on a deeper level, he's a completely different person,_' Ishida thought. He couldn't help but wonder if Rukia would recognize her Ichigo in him should the two of them meet.

"How is that friend of yours, actually?" Rukia asked suddenly. She and Uryū had sat down on the ground to talk while Orihime busied herself with the final repairs to the surroundings.

"He's fine," Ishida answered curtly. "He's up and about already actually."

"So he survived?" Surprise was evident in her voice, but was quickly explained by another question. "I thought the Hollow would have killed him before coming to get Renji and I. Why would it spare him?"

"It almost did kill him," the Quincy replied gravely. "He only survived thanks to Orihime who arrived quickly enough to save his life. But it had been close." 'It had been close' was a grave understatement, Ishida knew. It was much more than just close. It had been much too close for comfort. And even knowing that, neither he nor anyone else truly objected to Ichigo being the one doing recon. Though Ishida suspected it was because of Ichigo's accurate reasoning as well as the fact they all knew he was the strongest among them, and thus had the greatest chance at survival.

"He got lucky then," Rukia summarized and Ishida fought the urge to snort. The ones who truly got lucky had been her and Renji. The Vizards had told the humans that while it was true Orihime saved Ichigo, she saved him as far as speed went. Had she not arrived, Ichigo still had great chances of survival thanks to his Hollow powers, even though recovery would take much longer than it did. No, the real lucky people were the two other Reapers. They were lucky Kurosaki got healed as quickly as he did so he could send his Inner Hollow to help out. They were lucky the Vizards decided to get involved too. If not for that, they would have surely been either dead or in the enemy's clutches by now. But the Quincy couldn't say that to the girl beside him.

"Yeah, he got lucky," he replied instead. '_Lucky he managed to do something to save you,_' he added in his thoughts.

"Where is he now? I'd like to meet him."

"He's… around," Ishida answered vaguely. The conversation was headed into a dangerous zone from here, but the Quincy didn't know how to change its course. He was saved by Orihime who by then finished the repairs and pulled him away from the conversation.

"Ishida-kun, shouldn't we be going now?" she asked. Uryū looked at his watch and agreed, even though he didn't have any certain place to be right now. Inoue didn't either and Ishida suspected she just wanted to save them the difficult conversation ahead. So after saying good-bye to Rukia both left rather hurriedly.

The Vice-Captain of the thirteenth squad furrowed her brows. It was clear as day that they were trying to avoid her meeting that 'friend' of theirs. It was also clear that, much like Urahara and the others, Ichigo's friends were hiding something and were unlikely to spill the beans about it to her.

'_And somehow, I can't shake the feeling that whatever it is that they're hiding, it has something to do with Ichigo,_' Rukia thought as she stood up. She frowned. One thing was for certain. They were all hiding something and she was set on finding out what it was. She would do it too, no matter what.

No matter what it is they're hiding, she's going to get to the bottom of it.

With that decision in mind, Rukia shunpō-ed back to the Shōten to check on Renji.

"Are you ready, Nel?"Ichigo asked as they ran through the black space of the Garganta. "We're almost there."

Neliel shot him a look that pointedly said his question was a stupid one and he couldn't help but chuckle in response. He nodded as he saw a small light up ahead, the only indication that they were at the end of the road and almost in Hueco Mundo.

"Then let's get the show on the road," he said as the jumped into the light and entered into the realm of the Hollows.

* * *

*** As far as I recall, neither Ichigo nor anyone else ever mentioned to Rukia Ichigo's training before going off and saving her, so consequently, I don't believe she knows he had (at least in my opinion) died when Tessai cut his Chain of Fate (which she doesn't know about either), even though she knows about him having an Inner Hollow.**

**Alright, alright, I know it's short. I'll try to make it longer, I promise. I just need to get back into the swing of things I guess LOL Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chappie. Please leave a review with your thoughts in it why don't you?**


	14. Change of Plans

**Hello again, as you can see, I'm still alive. Hope you like this chapter.**

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:**

_**tristeysinfresas: **_**Sorry, but just as you don't speak English, I do not speak Spanish, so I'll have to reply like that. Considering you read the story at all, I'm going to assume you understand and are just unable to reply (reminds me of someone I know LOL and I don't mean it in a bad way :3). Anyway, even though I admitt I didn't understand much from your review (I hardly understand any Spanish… or was it portugese? *scratches head with a sheepish smile*), I still want to thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the fic.**

_**Cavlin:**_** Well, the waiting is over for now, here's the next chapter :3 Hope it's still to your liking. Your long awaited 'epic moment' AKA Rukia meeting Ichigo again is still a few chapters away though… especially since as you'll later understand, they'll hardly have a possibility to meet now. You'll see why at the end of the chapter… maybe…**

**Now, everyone, enjoy :3**

_**Standard disclaimer and reader's key required**_

* * *

_Chapter 14 – Change of Plans_

Gienzo steeled himself as he stood in front of the great silver door that separated him from his master. He had failed his mission, he knew, and he also knew that his master rarely tolerated failure. Especially failure of assignments such as this one. After all, how hard could it be to capture one Shinigami at the level of a mere Vice-Captain?

The mission however, as Gienzo was hoping he would have time to explain to his superior, had not involved meeting a weird persona who seemed to be neither human, nor Shinigami, nor Hollow nor anything he really knew for that matter, but rather a mixture of both, Death God and Hollow. And it also never involved said mysterious persona not allowing him to leave like they never met, insisting on fighting him instead and almost forcing him to release his Resurrección. No, the mission involved going to the Real World and retrieving Kuchiki Rukia. A simple mission even an Arrancar should have been able to accomplish, Hell, even a mere Adduchas should have been able to handle it. Yet he had failed. And the master rarely tolerated failure.

Shaking himself from his musings, Gienzo gave himself a last one-over, hoping he was looking at least a little presentable considering he had done as he'd been ordered and came to the master's throne room immediately upon returning from the Real World, which of course meant he didn't have time to clean himself up from the intense fight against Ichigo. But then again, if he looked ragged like he did, then maybe the master would give him enough time to explain why exactly he failed instead of just labeling him weak and useless and killing him, searching for a new Aniquilador to take his place. Not that Gienzo could blame him if he did; those were the rules in their world. Only the strong survived, the weak had to die. And if he couldn't handle a task as simple as the one he had been given, he was by all rights to be considered weak.

Taking in one last breath, the Aniquilador de las memorias raised his hand and forced the door before him open. Knocking wasn't his style, nor was it any other Arrancar's for that matter. And the master wasn't one for manners either.

"Hotairu Gienzo, reporting back from the mission in the World of the Living," the Hollow said calmly as he stared into the pitch black room. A sudden glow showed in the darkness like a pair of eyes shining cold and menacing silver. The darkness slowly started to seep outside the doorframe and surround his feet. That was his cue to enter.

Not hesitating a moment longer, Gienzo strode confidently into the room and no sooner had he passed the frame had the door closed behind him and a red light shone on him from above like some sort of reflector so that he was perfectly visible to the master who himself stayed cloaked in shadows.

"Where is the Shinigami you were supposed to bring, Hotairu?" a deep voice boomed in the room, but the Aniquilador was unaffected by the menacing tone of it. He didn't answer though. He didn't need to. "You have failed your mission," the anger was unmistakable in the master's voice and had Gienzo been any lower Hollow, he would have shivered in fright. But as things were, he just stood calmly and gazed straight into the master's face with no fear. Well, where he supposed the master's face was anyway.

"I will not deny it, I failed," he replied evenly; whatever would come his way now, be it death or mercy by some stray ray of luck, he was prepared for it.

"Explain."

Gienzo hadn't been expecting that. The master rarely asked for explanations why a mission was not carried out as it should. If you failed, you failed and that was it. There were never explanations asked, the mistake was never forgiven, weakness was never accepted. Yet the master demanded explanations now. It was weird to say the least. It was almost like the master was trying to find a reason to make an exception and let him live even though he had proven himself to be weak. But that didn't make any sense. The master was fond of no one; all that mattered to him was strength. Strength Gienzo had failed to prove today.

The Aniquilador wasn't suicidal however and decided to grab the opportunity to live a few more days. Besides, even after he explained, it wasn't really sure if he would live or not, so he didn't need to ponder the master's reasons.

"I had met someone I had not expected to meet," Gienzo replied simply, but knowing it wouldn't be enough, he went on almost immediately. "I had met a warrior who refused to let me go without a fight. A warrior who was much stronger than any Shinigami ever encountered, stronger even than the Head-Captain. He was neither Shinigami nor Hollow; he himself said he was a hybrid of both, but I did not have the chance to verify this statement. I have not seen him use a Resurrección, but I know for certain that he has a Bankai. And he's willing to give his life if it means to protect Kuchiki Rukia… which is why I believe he is her protector."

The way he said it, he realized, he made it sound as if Soul Society knew all along they would show themselves sooner or later and would target Kuchiki Rukia, thus decided to give her protection just in case. Which Gienzo knew couldn't be true. They had stayed carefully hidden during the last War between the Shinigami and Hollow, watching from the side lines and judging their enemies strength. Gienzo had not been around at that time yet, but he heard from the other Aniquilador how they wished they could join the fight. They had said the captains were strong and it would definitely be fun to fight them, though the one that had caught most of the hidden Hollows attention had been the Shinigami who defeated Aizen, the un-complete hybrid, the strongest of the Vizards; his name had not been mentioned to Gienzo, but from the stories he heard from his superiors and elders, he knew that fighting him would indeed be better than any other fight he ever had. Many of the Aniquilador back then had even almost come out of hiding so much did the Vizards strength pulled them to him, provoking them to fight him. But they had orders to stay hidden, so they did. As far as logic went, Soul Society shouldn't be even aware of the existence of their small group. Which in turn meant Ichigo couldn't be Rukia's protector in the sense Gienzo made him sound as.

Gienzo saw the two silver glows that he suspected to be the master's eyes to narrow into two slits. Either he was displeased, which was by all means more than just probable, or he was thinking hard about something – if it was one or the other, Gienzo didn't know but he had a feeling he was, surprisingly, actually going to get out of this room alive today.

"Did this warrior give you a name?"

"He called himself Kurosaki Ichigo," Gienzo replied without hesitation. "He said something about being a former Substitute Shinigami too," he added as an afterthought, but shut his mouth immediately after that when he saw what he supposed were the master's eyes widen and become almost round before they narrowed again, looking like the eyes of a seriously menacing and pissed off snake in the dark.

"It couldn't be…" the voice that said this was quiet and Gienzo almost didn't hear what his master was saying. Intrigued and more curious than ever, Gienzo had to bite his tongue to not ask any questions. He was the one being interrogated here. "The Substitute was said to have died…" Now that caught Gienzo's attention, though the Hollow made sure his face stayed carefully blank. So this Kurosaki boy was someone the master had been observing? Someone the master wanted dead? Well, seeing how strong he was it shouldn't be really that surprising, and still Gienzo doubted he saw all of his strength or that the boy had achieved his limits for that matter. The Hollow was more than just certain that if left alive, Ichigo would become stronger still. "Describe him to me."

Brought out of his musings, Gienzo had to fight seriously hard not to raise his eyebrows in silent questioning. The fact alone the master was intrigued by the cause of his failure was weird, but for him to be this interested in said cause, namely a warrior, was beyond Gienzo's comprehension. It looked almost like the master was… weary of something about the whole situation.

Deciding to let the matter drop for the moment, the Aniquilador proceeded to describe the boy who had fought him off better than he ever expected him to, almost drove him to releasing even, with the greatest detail he could remember. From his clothes to his fighting style and character, or at least what he had learned from it during the fight, he shared it all. It wasn't until he mentioned how his face looked once the hood was thrown off, and more precisely that he had orange hair, that he truly noted the change in the master's demeanor.

The mystical creature that had been questioning him was angry, he could tell that much from the hard wave of reiatsu that slammed into him. No, angry didn't even come close. Furious was more like it, and it still was just a mild description. The onslaught of spiritual power drove Gienzo to his knees and made beats of sweat appear on his face as he tried to stay conscious even as the master's reiatsu tried to suffocate him.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the pressure disappeared and he slowly got to his feet. The glowing orbs staring back at him had turned from cold silver to blinding and pure white that they always turned when the master was pushed well past the border that could have been called fury. Usually, when one saw those eyes, he never saw anything else. But it seemed fate had other plans for Gienzo.

"Call your brothers and sisters to the Common Room," he heard the master say. "Tell them the plans have been changed. Kuchiki Rukia will not be our target yet," he continued. Gienzo had fight not to show his surprise again. Kuchiki Rukia was the key to their victory, or at least she possessed something that was. The master had said from the beginning that their first move to reveal themselves to the Shinigami would be to capture the girl and take from her what they needed. So why change plans now just because of one warrior?

"We will start by hunting the VIZARD and getting him out of the way," was the next thing the master said and Gienzo's mask of indifference cracked ever so slightly before he covered it up again. When his master told him to leave he didn't lose time in getting out of the dark room, letting the mask fall completely apart as the door closed behind him and the eyes of the master were no longer watching him. A wave of suppressed surprise slammed into him and his eyes widened as he allowed all of the information he had been fed sink in.

Ichigo was the VIZARD… the Shinigami who defeated Aizen and who all Aniquilador wished to fight and even better: destroy. The strongest of them all. No wonder the master wanted him out of the way. If he was as strong as the stories of Gienzo's elders said, and he knew first hand Ichigo had been gravely underestimated in them, then he could be a really big problem for their plans, especially if he would protect their key to victory, Kuchiki Rukia.

But right now, Gienzo didn't think about all of that. What was in the forefront of his mind was how his brothers and sisters would react when they heard he fought the VIZARD. He even 'won' in a sense, but he was well aware that his brothers and sisters would see it as just a draw. He had not killed Ichigo, and though he left him to die slowly he now believed the boy had survived. He wouldn't be the VIZARD if he died this easily. Besides, some part of him had still been fighting him when he got to Kuchiki Rukia, so that had to mean Ichigo had been far from being truly defeated. And Gienzo hadn't exactly come unscathed from the encounter either. So with both hurt more or less gravely but neither killing the other, it was a draw. But that didn't matter to Gienzo right now. What mattered right now was that he got to battle the VIZARD, something every other Aniquilador more or less secretly dreamed of. He couldn't wait to share this information along with their orders with the rest of their organization. Yes, he was definitely going to enjoy that.

And his brothers and sisters would be green from envy when they found out, he knew.

XxX

Ichigo crouched on the sandy ground as he landed lightly outside of the Garganta, Nel close behind him. They stood up and looked around, Nel raising her eyebrows when she noticed where Ichigo had brought them.

"Why Las Noches?" she asked as she stared at the ruins of the once formidable fortress. "You don't really believe we'll find anything here, do you? Don't you think it would have been too obvious?"

"Has anyone used Las Noches since the war?" Ichigo asked her right back. When the female Arrancar shook her head negatively he looked back at the ruins. "So it was left in the state it was in after the war?"

"As far as I know, yes," Nel answered, slowly narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she glanced back at Ichigo. "What's with all the questions?"

"Don't you think it's weird?" Ichigo answered with another question. "You say Las Noches was left in just the same state as it was after the last fights during the war. But it had not been destroyed quite this much back then, at least not when I left. It was mostly still in one piece. And I know almost for certain that after I took my leave to meet Aizen in a fake image of Karakura Town only one battle took place within its walls. The battle between the Decima Espada*, Yammi, and two captains – Kuchiki Byakuya and Zaraki Kenpachi," he said. Nel didn't answer, silently wondering where the orange haired hybrid was going with this, but when he didn't continue, she noticed she needed to make him spit it out.

"And the problem is?"

"Don't you see, Nel? One battle just isn't enough to bring this place to the state it's in now when it was still mostly in one piece at the beginning of said battle. True, Kenpachi loves to destroy his entourage while he's fighting, but I seriously doubt even he could cause this much damage in one battle. Besides, when I came here for my last mission, during which I died, Las Noches was not in such a pitiful state and I'm quite sure our fight with Ichimaru wouldn't be enough to destroy almost ninety-eight percent of the fortress," Nel nodded, slowly understanding what he was getting at. She observed the remains of the once great castle now hardly even resembling a building at all. Two or three towers were spared the fate of being leveled with the ground, but they still had so many holes in their walls that the former Tercera silently wondered how they could even be standing.

Most of the outside walls of the fortress were history as well and the roof was but a distant memory, except in the case of one tower which was more or less whole: the tower Ichigo had first awoken in as himself and not the somewhat mindless Hollow he had become. Overall, the sight of Las Noches was pretty pathetic and Nel couldn't help but wonder what had happened to bring the fortress to the state it was in now. She saw what Ichigo had been getting at now. Something obviously had happened here after the war was over. And since they knew about this something about as much as they knew about their new enemy, it was as good a place to start investigating as any other.

As they neared the ruins however, Nel couldn't help but notice how much Ichigo had changed, though she wasn't sure if he himself had noticed that. The Ichigo she first met in Hueco Mundo, the one who first brought out her true form when she saw she needed to protect him from Nnoitora, had been short tempered and hardly thought about the situation, just plunging ahead instead, head first into danger. The Ichigo she was with now however was calmer, more perceptive, calculating… If she didn't know any better, she'd have said he'd been a general fighting a war for at least a good half of his life. His whole posture just radiated strength and experience in battle like only a true warrior could have – and it demanded respect. Neliel didn't know what exactly happened to him after he left her by the Fourth Tower to fight Uluquiorra and even less what happened to him when he was a Hollow, but she knew that whatever it was taught him more than any fight before the war. If anything truly changed him and turned him from the reckless boy she first met to the young man who could easily pass for a general of an army, it was the war he had forced himself to fight in. Or the war he was forced into, Nel didn't know which.

"Before you met me at the Fourth Tower and saw who I was," Ichigo started again, referring to the time she tried to fight him and ended up re-awakening his Shinigami powers somehow and finally seeing who he was. "Did you spend the whole time in Las Noches?"

Here he went again with weird questions Nel didn't know what to make of. But she didn't complain anymore and just answered them truthfully. Ichigo after all, had been at least mentally dead for two years, at least in the time count of Hueco Mundo. By questioning her he learned the situation during those two years… and probably tried to see clearer in the situation at hand with the aid of this information. '_He truly has changed,_' Nel thought in amazement.

"No," she replied truthfully. "Not one Hollow got even close to it as far as I know. Those who used to live there as lesser Hollows following the Arrancar had fled to the desert or to the Menos Forest once the war was over. As far as I know, Las Noches has been deserted. You were the first Hollow who dared go there in a long time, which is why I followed you."

"So you first saw me somewhere else," he said with his eyebrows furrowed. Neliel nodded.

"I first saw you in the desert a few miles from here. You were an Adduchas then, and although your reiatsu felt somewhat familiar, I didn't pay any attention to you at first… though you tried to make me. I guess you subconsciously knew we were friends. But whatever you tried, it didn't work… until you went off to Las Noches."

"Then you followed me," Ichigo finished for her as they walked over pieces of debris, slowly making their way to the most destroyed and most interesting part of the ruins: where the fake blue sky always made it seem like it was day.

Nel nodded as she followed him. Nothing more was said between them as the pair slowly walked through the ruins. What exactly they were looking for, neither knew, but they both thought they would recognize it when they saw it.

Suddenly, both snapped their heads up, their hands going reflexively to their swords. And with good reason, for at that precise moment hundreds upon hundreds of small worm-like being started to crawl out of the ground, the closest not wasting a moment to attack. They weren't much of a threat as Ichigo and Nel soon found out, not when they attacked solitary anyway. But given the number of the creatures that surrounded them, a number than seemed to still be growing, they were clearly at a disadvantage. Unfortunately for Ichigo and Neliel though, any way of escape has been cut off. They were surrounded.

Ichigo frowned as he cut through worm after worm. Zangetsu cut through the black bodies like through butter, which seemed to be a literal comparison since once cut through, the worms fell to the ground in a formless pile resembling mud.

"What are those things?" the ex-Shinigami asked almost distractedly cutting through another bunch of them as they sprang at him. "They're not Hollows, that much's for certain. But then what the Hell are they?"

"I have no idea," Neliel replied truthfully. "I've never seen such beings before. But what concerns me more at this moment isn't what they are, but why they attack. It's clear we can defeat them effortlessly. What they're doing is basically suicide. So why go through with it?"

"Question is also if you can even speak of suicide," Ichigo replied as his frown deepened. "I don't know about you, but those things don't feel alive to me. Not in the human sense, not in the Shinigami or Hollow sense. It's like they're nothing at all. Like they don't exist."

"But they're right before our eyes," Neliel replied with a confused frown, though she couldn't say Ichigo wasn't right. Whatever these worms were, they had no feeling to them; no reiatsu, no nothing. Had she been blind, she wouldn't have been able to tell they were even there.

"Which is exactly why it makes it suspicious, don't you think?" There was nothing Nel could reply to that. Ichigo was right, this was suspicious. But whether it was somehow connected to their secret enemy was yet to be discovered. Neliel held back a sigh. She hated being in the dark.

"Well, whatever they are, I think we should first worry about getting rid of them first," she said.

"Yeah," was all Ichigo replied.

XxX

Sitting in a dark room illuminated only by several glowing computer screens, a young man sat before one of the screens and observed the scene before him. His lips formed a smile as he leaned back in his chair and corrected the glasses on his nose, revealing deep golden eyes as the light stopped reflecting in them.

"That's very interesting indeed," he said to himself as his other hand ran through his light brown hair, ruffling them up and making a big mess on his head in the process. "Keep, on fighting. Keep on annihilating them. Keep destroying the worms. Keep at it until you've earned yourselves names," he chanted in his deep voice, eyes never leaving the screen. He couldn't see much of course, the worms were covering most of the going-ons. But he knew enough to know that whoever it is that he detected in Las Noches, they were more than capable of cleaning this small test. The master would be pleased.

This was how it worked. He would survey the training grounds and should he detect a reiatsu strong enough to possibly evolve further, he allowed the worms out. Only once he was sure the test subject was engaged in battle did he let the hidden camera show itself to be able to observe the training. But this was the first time when the released worms blocked any view, though that was just because he released this many. Or more like, his invention _produced_ this many. The recruits undergoing the test truly had to be strong. Yes, the master would be pleased indeed.

A loud ring pierced the silence of the room and the young man turned in his chair just as another screen switched itself on. This one stayed entirely black though, with the exception of two silver orbs glowing in the middle of the screen. The young man couldn't keep the smile of his face as he bowed without standing up.

"Master, two more individuals with the potential to become one of your servants have come to training ground six, Las Noches. They are being taken care of as we speak," he said as he dared look up t the screen. The two orbs moved down and back up, indicating that the mysterious person hidden in the shadows nodded in acknowledgement.

"Keep recruiting new warriors but make sure to stay undetected by Soul Society," the master replied, refreshing the young man's memories of the order he received already about a year back and has been fulfilling dutifully since then, though it was only recently that Las Noches became one of his training grounds. He replied only with a court 'yes, master' and another bow, fully expecting his master to cut the communication off right there, so he was surprised when the silver orbs remained on the black screen. The master had a new order to give it would seem.

"What more can a humble servant like myself do for you, my master?" the young man asked, this time not rising from his half-bow, though he still didn't stand up from his chair.

"Should an orange haired Shinigami-look-alike appear on one of the training grounds," the master started and the young man froze in anticipation. Up until now, he had been told to cut off all raining at the mere sign of any Shinigami so that they weren't discovered. But it would seem a change of plans had occurred. The master continued: "should such a person appear anywhere in Hueco Mundo, make sure you kill him."

"Yes, master," the young man replied, bowing even deeper if that was possible. With that, the screen switched itself off and the communication cut off. As soon as he knew he wasn't being watched anymore, the young man leaned back in his chair and laughed hysterically, his laugh echoing from the walls in the room and thus getting louder. It was a laugh of a mentally deranged person, the kind of laugh that would send shivers down the spine of the most powerful and courageous Shinigami.

"Finally!" the young man cried between fits of hysterical, insane laughter. "Finally, I have the permission! Finally, I shall kill! Now come, orange haired Shinigami-look-alike, whatever it is that sets you apart from the other Shinigami! Come and be my pray! Come and let me finally kill you!"

XxX

Rukia sighed as she leaned against the wall in Urahara's shop while she told Renji of what she had found out, or at least tried to, today.

It had been about three days since Rukia's talk with Orihime in the park and since the start of her suspicions. Renji had woken up and was recovering nicely. According to Tessai, he had even recovered enough to get out of bed, though he had yet to actually do it.

In those three days, Rukia had been trying to get a hold of anyone who could possibly know something, but both Urahara and Yoruichi avoided her like the plague and were unfortunately very good at disappearing when they didn't want to be found. The kids working at the shop didn't seem to know anything and if Tessai knew something, then he was damn good at keeping his mouth shut. Whenever Rukia came close to the subject interesting her, he either easily steered the conversation on what she supposed was 'safer ground' or ignored her by pretending to be lost in thought, thus making to him no better than talking to a rock. Frankly, Rukia was getting tired of it.

Since no one from Urahara's shop was willing to help her, Rukia had also tried the next best thing: asking Ichigo's friends. But that try backfired as well, as after three tries they started to disappear somewhere as well and to her great surprise, she wasn't even able to detect their spiritual pressure when they did. She had once managed to catch Chad and ask him about this disappearing, but all the response she got was short and incomplete to say the least.

"Ever since that weird Hollow appeared and vanished… We train," he had said.

Now Rukia understood what Keigo meant when he said Chad often got lazy in his story-telling. What he had said wasn't even a full explanation, it was the beginning and the end of one. But the middle part, the most important part, was missing. And try as she might, she couldn't bring the silent giant to tell her the whole story, though in his case, she chalked it up more to the fact that he was a man of few words rather than to the idea he might be hiding something from her. At least, even if he did 'hide' something like the rest of Ichigo's friends, she was fairly certain he wasn't doing it quite on purpose. He just didn't like to talk much.

Finally, as a last resort, Rukia had decided to try asking Ichigo's family. She was quite certain Isshin was involved in this secret she was trying to uncover, though what compelled her to think Yuzu and Karin might know, Rukia wasn't sure. At any rate, the fukutaichō of the thirteenth squad figured it would be good to ask. After all, if the girls knew something important, then it would be the easiest to get it out of them, since they were the youngest.

The young Kuchiki hadn't quite gotten that far though, for as she arrived at the Kurosaki household, raised voices from within stopped her short from knocking and she decided to listen through the door instead. From what she could hear, Isshin was talking with Urahara and someone else. Ishida, Rukia quickly realized when she heard his voice. The black haired girl didn't have to listen long to realize she made the right decision. Whatever they were talking about had something to do with their little mystery. Meaning that had she knocked, she wouldn't be hearing anything at all.

What she did hear however didn't exactly help her either.

"You mean to tell me that you sent him all on his own right into the middle of the inferno? He just fought a strong opponent, he couldn't have possibly recovered already! Do you want him to really get killed?" she heard Isshin scream and couldn't help but frown. Ichigo's father hardly lost his cool like that. He was mostly aloof and easy going, though less than when Ichigo was still alive. But even so, it was hard to get him this riled up.

"As far as I understood, he decided to go on his own and Ishida-san and the others have tried to stop him. Was that not so, Ishida-san?" that was Urahara's voice. A short silence followed, indicating that Uryū responded with but a nod.

"He clearly showed us why we were wrong though. We had no other choice than to let him go. His reasons for going rather than anyone else were all legitimate and made sense," Uryū's voice was calm as he answered. Intrigued by the conversation, Rukia couldn't help but inch closer to the door, despite the fact that she could hear everything perfectly well. Just who and what were they talking about?

~P~O~V~

"Also, you seem to be underestimating both him and Inoue-san," the Quincy continued, his cool gaze never leaving Ichigo's father. "Inoue-san's abilities are strong. She has patched him up in a matter of minutes as best as she could. As we later found out, he had never been in any real danger to begin with. He was gravely hurt, yes, but it was nothing he wouldn't have recovered from on his own. Inoue-san has just sped up the process."

"I know he's strong, Mr. Quincy. I wouldn't ever think anything else. After all, he's…" he stopped midsentence at the warning glare Urahara sent him. They had quite quickly agreed to never use any terms in their conversations that could hint at Ichigo's identity, mostly because they knew Rukia was trying to find out what they were hiding and they could never know where she was nearby when they were deep in conversations such as these. Isshin cleared his throat and set his eyes back on the pair before him. "But even if he's strong, that kind of thing is suicide!"

Urahara sighed as he set a weary gaze on the father of the person they were currently talking about, the one who risked his life just to find out more about their enemy. An enemy even Soul Society wasn't aware of yet. Not that this was a new occurrence. In Aizen's case, Soul Society was also the last one to find out.

"I'm pretty sure you've met him before he left, and of that's the case then you must have noticed it, Isshin, but I will still point out the obvious. He has changed. He's no longer the impulsive kid who didn't think twice about charging straight in no matter how stupid that might seem.

"I'd like to point out that he's been able to hide his identity from all of us for quite a while, and that while interacting with us almost as much as before all of this started. He thought ahead how to hide himself to avoid being found out. Had he been the way he always was, he wouldn't have been able to stay hidden for longer than an hour, trust me."

"You still figured him out almost as soon as you met him," Isshin replied, obviously determined to keep Ichigo's image as he remembered it. Urahara sighed again.

"That wasn't because he was bad at hiding. Quite frankly, I think he subconsciously wanted me to know, which is why I had seen through it. But you didn't and neither did your daughters now did you? At least not until you've seen him fight."

Isshin had nothing to respond to that. This was the truth. Neither he, nor Yuzu or Karin would have ever figured it out had he not seen Ichigo fight his friends a few nights back. And if his son could fool even his own family, that had to mean something, right? It meant he knew how to hide and not be found out, something that was of greatest importance on reconnaissance missions such as this.

Ishida opened his mouth to say something more, but at this precise moment a quiet, cracking sound of a door opening was heard and all heads turned towards the entrance door.

~P~O~V~

Rukia cursed under her breath just as the door opened wider and she was greeted by a smiling Urahara.

"Well well, Miss Kuchiki, what a pleasant surprise," he said in his natural sing sang voice. "What can we do for you?"

"Who were you talking about?" Rukia cut straight to the point. She was tired of all of them avoiding and dancing around the subject. She wanted answers. Clear, understandable answers. And she was going to get them. Today.

Unfortunately, that want was not satisfied. Urahara did a splendid job at giving straightforward, yet incomplete and riddle-like answers which only served in confusing the raven haired girl more. Isshin and Ishida weren't of much help either, as both refused to talk and let Urahara handle the conversation. Needless to say that at the end of said 'conversation', she left the Kurosaki household with an even greater mess in her head than before. When earlier she had thought to be slowly getting to something, now she couldn't make heads or tails of the mystery presented to her anymore. Just what were they all hiding?

"So, in short, you hit another dead end?" Renji asked her and Rukia nodded. The redhead sighed. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe it's just your imagination? That they aren't hiding anything?" he asked.

"For people who don't hide anything, they sure as Hell are good at giving confusing answers and avoiding me," Rukia fumed and her childhood friend hung his head. Well, she had a point there. Renji certainly couldn't deny that the way everyone was acting around them both, it was hard not to think they weren't hiding something.

"There were new orders while you were out," Renji suddenly said, changing the subject. He went on when he noticed Rukia's raised eye-brow. "They want at least one of us to come back and to report. I'm not quite sure if it's 'come back, report, then return to your station' or just 'come back and report' though I think it's the first. I mean, with all that's going on here… it does look suspicious, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," was all Rukia answered. She closed her eyes as she rested her forehead in one of her hands for a while, gathering her thoughts, then she sighed. "You'll go back then. I'll stay and try to find out something more," she finally said, to which Renji furrowed his brows.

"They haven't spilled the beans to you even once," he finally said. "But since I was in their 'confinement', I didn't even get a chance to ask anything. Don't you think they'll be less careful around me than around you?"

"I don't see why," Rukia replied with a frown. "They'd have to be idiots not to figure out I wouldn't talk about this with you. I know we can say a lot about them, especially Urahara, but we both know they're not stupid."

She had a point there, but Renji wasn't going to give up. Rukia might try to hide it, but he saw the internal battle within her. The problem wasn't only that Urahara and Ichigo's friends and family were careful not to slip up and accidentally say something about their little secret around her. The problem was also that for some reason Renji had yet to figure out, the black haired girl wasn't taking the solving of the mystery with a completely cool head. There seemed to be some kind of internal battle within her that was distracting her. And if that was truly the case, then she might have missed some clues.

It was mainly because of this that Renji decided to take the matter in his own hands. Rukia had piqued his interest with her hypotheses, and since she obviously kept hitting dead end after dead end, he might as well help her try to figure it out. But he could hardly do that if he were the one to go back to report.

Which only left the option of somehow getting Rukia to do it.

"Yeah, but up until now, you're the only one who's been openly trying to get something out of them, while I've been pretending to not know nor suspect a thing the few times someone came to visit and check up on me," he finally said and didn't miss the way Rukia frowned. The redhead had to fight hard not to smirk. He knew he had hit the bull's-eye.

"I guess," she finally said after a few second of silence. Then she sighed. "But if I come back and you'll have nothing new or another dead end coming up, I swear I'll never let you live it down," she threatened with a smirk on her face, almost challenging him to manage something she failed at. The fukutaichō of the sixth squad smirked.

"Deal," he said as Rukia stood up, exited her gigai and opened a Senkaimon to go to Soul Society like the orders said.

* * *

*** I know, Yammi is actually the 'zero' Espada, but the idea didn't sit well with me, so he stayed the tenth in this fic and the strongest of the Espada is still the Primera, meaning Starrk during the war and Ichigo now.**

**And that's that for chapter 14. And I even didn't take 6 months to update again LOL**

**But… does anyone else notice that this fic is turning into a bleach-re-write as we speak? I mean, a new treat, Ichigo is as good as the only one who can seemingly beat it for now, it's after Rukia and she's the key to victory of the bad guys because she has something they need. Does this ring a bell I wonder…**

**Of course, I was being sarcastic.**

**Knowing that… tell me, people, do you like this story enough for me to keep writing it, or do you want me to stop because it's getting boring and predictable? Just tell me the truth, I'll go with it, ok? Tell me in a review why don't you :3**


	15. Allies Where You Least Expect Them

**Well, look at that. Yes people, yes, it's an update and no, I'm not dead. Not yet anyway.**

**I want to apologize for the insanely long wait of four months. I can't even use the excuse of school this time. Well, not for the whole time anyway. You see, I had my graduation not long ago and it took up a bit of my time. And once it was over… well, my muse decided to ditch me. But I am back now and I hope to be able to update a little bit more frequently. Please bare with me if I don't manage to though. I hope this chapter is worth the wait, even if it's short and I apologize for every and any OOC-ness that may be present here.**

**Also, thank you very very much for the many encouraging reviews. Please keep them coming, they're what keeps this fic alive :]**

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_**lillica: **_**Someone sounds addicted LOL But I'm glad to hear you enjoy my story that much. And as you can see, I didn't stop, so hope you're happy :3 And yes, I missed Renji in this fic too, which is why he's now going to play a somewhat bigger role LOL That means there'll be a little less of Rukia for the moment though.**

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_Chapter 15 – Allies where you least expect them_

Ichigo and Nel stood side by side in the ruins of Las Noches, weary looks directed at a huge cloud of dust about three meters away from them. Surrounded from all sides by the mysterious worms, the pair had tried to fight their way out of the onslaught, but before they could truly get to it, a third party had gotten involved. One whom they have noticed mostly because of his flashy entrance, as he had sent a Gran Rey Cero straight at them from behind.

Whoever it was though, he had not been too stealthy about it, yelling the name of the attack quite loudly and thus warning them about the incoming attack. Dodging effortlessly, they watched as the wave of Hollow-reiatsu annihilated their foes. Once it passed, not one worm was left and no more were coming forth, leaving Ichigo and Nelilel alone with the possible friend or foe.

"What the… that all? Come on, what's that supposed to be? There has to be more! Come on, come at me. That just can't be all. It never is," an angered, male voice could be heard from the slowly dissolving cloud. Ichigo raised an eyebrow and his fighting stance slackened a little. He knew that voice, though he was unable to pinpoint who it belonged to. But he was certain its owner was no stranger to him. Still, the question remained if he was friend or foe.

"Show yourself!" Nel cried towards the cloud, just as a stronger gust of wind dispersed the lingering dust and revealed the person behind it.

It was a Hollow, something Ichigo had already expected, and the orange haired hybrid was quite certain he was observing a Vasto Lorde, if not an Espada, in his released state. He had blue hair about as long as he was tall. A pair of small black, cat-like ears was sticking out at the top of his head and his overall appearance reminded Ichigo of a panther or another similar cat-predator. His whole body was clad in what looked like a form-fitting white body suit if one overlooked the long, whip-like tail and the claws adorning his hands and feet. Looking at him up close, Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that he knew this Hollow from somewhere, that he had met and possibly fought him before. The feeling proved right when the Hollow spoke up again.

"Well well, if it isn't Kurosaki Ichigo. Never thought I'd see you again here. What brings you this time? There's no redheaded woman around to save this time as far as I know, is there?" he asked mockingly and Ichigo suddenly knew whom he was talking to. All he needed to do was imagine the suit being bigger and more armor-like, with blades coming out at the elbows and calves and picture the ears bigger, positioned at the sides of the Hollows head, instead of on top of it and his identity was more than clear.

"Grimmjow," the hybrid narrowed his eyes and gripped his sword tighter again. He didn't have a reason to fight the Arrancar, but knowing Grimmjow, a fight was inevitable. "You sure changed."

"I got stronger is all. As you're about to find out!" Ichigo was right, Grimmjow could never stay out of a fight, especially if it was one against him. "It's payback time, Kurosaki!"

Oh, so he was still going on about that old scar from their first fight during the war? And those other defeats he suffered at Ichigo's hands? The orange haired teen sighed and prepared himself.

"You aren't the only one who' become stronger, Grimmjow," he said and gave a nod to Nel to let her know she should not interfere. He'd beat Grimmjow on his own… and then he'd ask him some questions. For he had a feeling the former (or maybe not) sexta Espada had answers they needed.

XxX

Renji walked slowly through the streets of Karakura, unnoticed by anyone since he decided to leave his gigai behind. It had been a day since Rukia left for Soul Society. A day since he told her he would take on their investigation from now on.

If he only had at least one lead to start of it would have been nice. As it was, he found himself with a problem he had no idea how to approach. He sighed.

According to Rukia, the spiritually aware inhabitants or Karakura, Ichigo's friends in other words, and Urahara knew something they refused to tell the two reapers. If this was true, one would think observing them would be the best plan of action, which was exactly what Rukia had been doing while he recovered. Renji knew better though. If Urahara wanted to hide something, he knew how to keep it a secret, so following him around and trying to get some answers out of him would be futile. And if Ichigo's friends were working on keeping the same secret, getting it out of them would be just as fruitless.

So what was he supposed to do?

The red haired Shinigami stopped suddenly and reached for his sword when he felt someone watching him. He sensed no Hollow nearby, which made it even more suspicious. Normally, no one should be able to see him. Yet he still had the feeling of being watched… and curiously enough, the feeling of being followed.

Turning around swiftly, he was met with a pair of deep brown eyes and a head of spiky black hair of a girl in a white karate outfit. He expected her to continue walking at first and walk straight through him since she wasn't supposed to be able to see him. She surprised him however when she stopped as well, staring straight into his eyes as she sipped the juice she held in her hands.

"Why are you following me?" he asked with narrowed eyes, inwardly asking himself why he even started a conversation with her instead of just walking away. He blamed the weak feeling of familiarity for that, but then again, where would he know her from?

"It's just that my house is in the same direction is all," she replied nonchalantly, causing Renji's red eyebrows to rise. He hadn't actually expected her to answer him, as something in him still believed she could neither see nor hear him. "You're a strange one, even for a ghost, that's for sure. How long have you been haunting this town?"

That made his blink. Sure, the simple fact she could see him was surprising. But her being able to see him and know he was not alive was not something he expected. Taking his silence for one of surprise, the girl continued talking as she started walking again, Renji following her for lack of anything else to do.

"I figured you must be here a long while to be wearing such old style clothing," she said. "But what's truly intriguing me is the feeling that I've seen someone like you before. Even better, I feel like I knew someone like you. Which is a completely stupid idea seeing as I can hardly be old enough to know someone who would dress like you."

"Don't you think it stupid to say all that to a person you don't even know and who isn't even alive?" Renji asked, interrupting her. She looked over at him with eyebrows raised before she laughed.

"You're right, it is kind of stupid. But then again, who are you going to tell it to except other ghosts? Besides, with you being dead and all, I doubt it really matters what I say. Nothing against you being dead, but talking to a ghost is kinda like talking to a wall. You can listen, but even if I spill my greatest secrets to you, you can hardly do anything to use the information I give you."

'_Outch,_' the red haired fukutaichō thought as she compared him to a wall. But then again, unless he decided to enter his (unimaginably uncomfortable) gigai, she was right.

Renji glanced at the girl beside him as they walked. Why he still followed her, he had no clue, but since he had nothing better to do, he figured he might as well talk with her for a while. Besides which, the longer he was with her, the stronger the feeling of familiarity grew within him. Had he seen this girl somewhere before?

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly before he could bite his tongue. The brown eyed girl beside him shot him a surprised look before shrugging, as if she figured it wouldn't matter if he knew or not. He was after all, as far as she was concerned, just a stupid ghost she would never see again after today.

"Arisawa Tatsuki," she replied. "And yours?" she asked back, feeling it'd be only fair to know his name now that he knew hers.

"Abarai Renji," the redhead replied without thinking, his mind elsewhere. Tatsuki's name sounded familiar somehow. He might not really know the girl, but her name rang a bell in his mind.

Suddenly it hit him. Tatsuki Arisawa… wasn't that the name of one of Ichigo's friends? One of those who weren't involved with Soul Society? Now that he thought of it, hadn't he briefly met her at Ichigo's school when he pretended to be a student for a day shortly before the war truly started?

"Sounds familiar, as crazy as that may sound. Almost as if I heard a friend mention you a few times," she said with a laugh, not noticing Renji's suddenly calculating gaze. '_A friend who might mention me… or more like let my name slip when he was talking more to himself than anyone else…_' the redhead thought. That would be Ichigo. It was really the only option as far as Renji knew. It would make sense too. After all, Soul Society had, as always, decided to take the easy way out after Ichigo's death and had simply made everyone in town forget him except those of his friends who were also involved in the war.

Apparently, the spell wasn't perfect though, since Tatsuki obviously remembered something in the back of her mind. It might be because of her spiritual awareness. Whatever the case, she didn't forget, at least not entirely.

"You wouldn't happen to know Orihime, would you? She told me recently she could see ghosts. Maybe she was the one who mentioned you," Tatsuki spoke up again and Renji almost stopped dead in his tracks.

Here he was, talking to one of Ichigo's friends who was, surprisingly, spiritually aware enough to not be completely influenced by the memory-rewrite Soul Society had subjected everyone who ever knew Ichigo to. Said friend was also, apparently, pretty close to Inoue Orihime.

Suddenly, an idea hit Renji in the back of his head and he couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I happen to know her. She helped me out a few times. I like to think of her as a friend," he said nonchalantly, smirking to himself as he continued to converse with Tatsuki, a plan forming in his head.

It would seem walking aimlessly through Karakura had brought him to a possible way to find something out in the mystery Rukia had so far failed to solve. He'd be an idiot not to grasp that opportunity.

XxX

"Do you give up now?" Ichigo asked as he sheathed Demonio, his other sword still at the ready just in case. Grimmjow snarled in a truly panther-like manner.

"It ain't over 'till it's over. And I'm still breathing, Kurosaki," the Arrancar replied as he strained his muscles to break free from the Bakudō he was caught in. The orange haired hybrid sighed.

"I never said we'd fight to the death," he said with annoyance as he raised his sword to Grimmjow's throat. "You are aware that I could kill you right now I presume?"

That had shut Grimmjow up as the panther-hollow gazed first at Ichigo, then at his sword, then back Ichigo. He laughed.

"You changed Kurosaki, you know that? Last time we fought, I could tell you couldn't even think about killing your foes. You aren't kidding now though, are you. You _would_ kill me if not for some other motive, huh. Out with it. What do you want?"

"To talk," Ichigo replied as he sheathed his sword, but he didn't break the spell holding the sexta (or former sexta, he didn't have the chance to verify) in place. He knew better than that. Grimmjow raised a brow as his Resurrección faded due to his multiple wounds and the sword fell uselessly at their feet. Ichigo had to admit though, the Arrancar had definitely gotten stronger. The changed form of his release was enough proof in itself, but after the fight, any doubt Ichigo might have had about the fact were no more.

"Talk?" Grimmjow repeated with a mocking tone in his voice. "What about? The weather here?"

"Those worms for example," Ichigo replied, ignoring Grimmjows mocking tone. "There's someone who's after Soul Society again. Much like last time, they probably have no clue about it. I don't know much either, but that's also partly because I wasn't around for a while. As things stand, I need information. And you can provide it," he didn't know why he felt the need to explain, however vaguely, the situation to his former opponent. But something within him told him it would be better to do so, and he was always one to trust his gut. Grimmjow smirked.

"What if I refuse to talk?" he asked daringly. He was met with the point of Ichgio's sword in response, but he didn't let it faze him. The Arrancar was never one to let himself be intimidated, much less show it to anyone. He was never one to just do as he was told without putting his own two cents in first either.

"Then I can 'finish the fight' as you put it," Ichigo replied coldly. "You're a source of information, but not the only one we can find." Nel observed what was happening calmly, her eyes betraying nothing of her feelings as she watched Ichigo, once again noticing how much he's changed. From what she'd seen from the 'old' Ichigo, he would fight his opponents and wouldn't hesitate to strike them. When it came to mindless Hollows, he wouldn't hesitate to cut them down and cleanse them either.

The Arrancars were a different story. They had a mind and consciousness, something that branded them as human-like in Ichigo's eyes. Which in turn meant that while he could fight them, he could never bring himself to deliver the final blow and finish their lives.

Yet here he was now, pointing his sword at an immobilized opponent with cold eyes. Somehow, Nel had no doubt in her mind that he would carry out his threat this time. After what happened during the war, whatever it had been to change him so, killing was no longer something Ichigo feared to do if it had to be done. Of that she was sure.

However, the Tercera was also sure he wouldn't just strike down a defenseless opponent. And even if his current predicament was the result of Grimjow's own recklessness during a fight, which was now over, the sexta was very much defenseless.

"If I talk," Grimjow spoke up again, his tone neutral and nothing short of uncaring, "what's in it for me?"

The question didn't surprise Ichigo, nor had the tone in which it was asked. It was obvious from the start Grimmjow didn't fear death and being killed in a fight was the way he wanted to go. He wasn't one to care about others either. If he decided to help Ichigo and answer his questions, it would be because he had a benefit in it. The hybrid smirked. He knew what to answer to that and he was sure it was an offer Grimmjow wouldn't refuse.

"If you answer my questions, I'll let you live," Ichigo answered simply, to which Grimmjow snorted. "Meaning you'll have another chance to fight me and make me pay for all the times I beat the crap out of you," he added with a confident smile plastered on his face as the blue haired Arrancar frowned, sending him a death glare. "Or did you give up on the thought of restoring your pride and ever beating me?"

Ichigo was taunting him and Grimmjow knew that well. His choice of words however was what really made his blood boil. He'd be damned if he let the orange haired _kid_ get away with bruising his pride like that.

But if he wanted to make him pay, he needed to be free and sure to live first, meaning he had to help Ichigo first. Grimmjow growled, but the thought of facing Ichigo in battle again, the excitement he felt at the lone thought of it overrode any other feelings he might have felt.

"Well, what do I know that you don't?" he asked arrogantly, smirking himself at the death glare Ichigo sent him in return. The blue haired man might help one of his foes in a way, but he'd be damned if he didn't rub it in their faces that they actually needed his help.

Biting back a sigh, Ichigo sheathed Zangetsu on his back and flipped his fingers. Instantly, the spell holding Grimmjow in place broke and the Arrancar stumbled, not expecting to be released so suddenly.

"Before you think of using that to attack me, keep in mind your own condition and the fact that I'm not stupid enough to forget you want to kill me," Ichigo said simply, making it clear that should the Arrancar attack, he wouldn't hesitate to strike back.

"Heh, still as weak hearted as always I see. If you wanna be sure I don't attack, why not keep me tied up then?" Grimmjow asked with a laugh, to which Ichigo only shrugged.

"Maybe because he doesn't think of you as a real threat?" Neliel said as she came between the two men, a teasing smile on her face. Grimmjow scowled.

"Neliel," he growled before shaking his head. A confident smile replaced his scowl as he gazed her up and down. "I thought Nnoitora had killed you all those years ago when he teamed up with Apollo," he said, effectively making Nel's smile disappear.

"And I thought Nnoitora managed to finish you off during the war, despite the fact that you were still breathing when Ichigo deflected the fatal blow," she replied, making Grimmjow growl again.

"I'm tougher than that, woman," he said angrily. "It takes more than that to kill me."

"You forget that you survived mainly because Ichigo was there. You may not know it but I was there you know and saw the whole thing, so don't deny owing Ichigo your life."

"He didn't have to save me dammit and I didn't ask him to!" Grimmjow bit back, the humiliation from being saved by an opponent who took fucking pity on him resurfacing again, making him even angrier.

"Would you rather I let him kill you?" Ichigo interrupted the oh-so-friendly exchange, his eyes clashing with Grimmjow's angry electric blue ones.

"At least then I would keep _some_ of my honor," the panther-hollow said quietly, more to himself than anybody else, but not quietly enough for the other two to not hear him.

"As long as you think being slaughtered like an animal because you can't move is honorable…" Nel trailed off with an overly sweet smile on her face. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and reached for pantera before he remembered he had actually yet to place his Zanpakutō back in its sheath.

Ichigo said nothing, opting for letting Grimmjow's comment slide off his back. It wasn't like he didn't somewhat agree with the Arrancar. While he still didn't regret helping him out, he understood now that he was more of a true warrior than he was back then what Grimmjow meant. If he pictured himself in such a situation, he thought he would have preferred death too. But then again…

"Look at it this way, if I didn't help you out back then, you wouldn't be able to try and get revenge on me for your bruised honor now. Besides, I tampered your pride with helping you, now you can really say you're returning the favor. Especially since I actually asked for your help."

"More like demanded it," Grimmjow replied, but couldn't help the smirk that rose to his face. Now that he thought about it, the orange haired Shinigami was right. That made his situation even worse than Grimmjow's all those years back. The Arrancar had after all not asked for help and had even been angry at Ichigo for butting in. A fact he did not hide. Now, here was the substitute, standing calmly next to him after yet another fight, actually lowering himself to ask a former enemy for help. The situation was so utterly ridiculous Grimmjow couldn't help but laugh. Ichigo sighed, waiting for his 'information source' to calm down. Getting riled up would get him nowhere after all.

"So tell me, what was it with those worms before?" the orange haired teen asked when Grimmjow finally calmed down. The sexta shrugged.

"Don't really know. They started appearing a little while back here and there. The good thing about them is they're easy to kill and give you one Hell of a power boost," he said. "Why so interested?"

"They appear 'here and there'? You mean in random places?" Ichigo continued asking, ignoring the question Grimmjow shot at him. The fact alone that they were definitely not 'alive' in any sense of the word was enough to make the former substitute suspicious. To hear they were a good way to power oneself up quickly and easily was even more unsettling.

"Not really," Grimmjow shrugged again. "There are a few places they appear at. Never saw them anywhere else."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms in front of his chest in thought. He didn't like what he was hearing at all, but he couldn't quite tell why. Something about what Grimmjow said just unsettled him. One look at Nel told him the Tercera wasn't too happy to hear what she did either.

"How long have you been fighting them, Grimmjow?" the green haired girl suddenly asked. "When did they start appearing?"

Grimmjow didn't respond for a while, instead watching Neliel curiously. At first, he had thought of this little question and answer game as a way to (at least somewhat) humiliate Ichigo, since the other man asked a foe for help. But with the direction the conversation was going, the blue haired Hollow couldn't help but be intrigued himself. Up until now, he hadn't wondered about where the worms came from or why they suddenly started appearing. What mattered was they were a good way to become strong quickly. With his enemy back from the times of the war and with a former 'comrade' asking weird questions however, he couldn't help but be curious himself.

"I'd say about three months," he finally said. "I don't know when they started appearing, but that's how long I fought them."

"And they appear only in certain places?" Ichigo decided to make sure. Grimmjow nodded.

"That's what it looks like to me. But I don't see how that has anything to do with what you were originally interested in."

"It might have anything to do with it," Ichigo answered, a theory slowly forming in his mind. A theory that seemed only logical, but one he definitely didn't like. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. What he thought of seemed possible, but he couldn't yet be sure. He needed to find out for himself. That however could prove to be tricky, especially with the enemy probably being aware of his identity. He cursed under his breath.

Things had just gotten a little more complicated and dangerous, and it wasn't a fact he was glad to admit.

XxX

In a dark room illuminated only by several computer screens, a lone figure sat, observing one of the screens. It showed the ruins of Las Noches and the three people currently present there. The figure observing them, a young man with light brown hair, golden eyes and glasses observed the screen, his whole body shaking with small chuckles he tried to contain within himself. Finally unable to hold it in any longer, the young man leaned back in his chair with both hands holding his stomach as a maniacal laughter rang throughout the room.

"I can't believe it!" the young man yelled at himself between fits of laughter. "Here I am, searching all of Hueco Mundo for you, and here you are, right in front of my nose from the very beginning. And to think I unleashed my precious worms on you... I can't believe it!" he leaned forward, one elbow resting on his knee as his hand supported his forehead. Not for a second had he stopped laughing. If anything, his laugh only became louder and louder with every second.

"Well then, Shinigami-look-alike… let me greet you like I should have from the very beginning," the man said to himself, still chuckling like a madman. "My baby will be glad to finally have some pray again," he sang as his fingers rapidly hit various keys on the keyboard before him. He chuckled again as he looked back towards the screen, only to see the three individuals start moving somewhere else. The maniacal grin on his face widened.

"Oh yes, my baby will be happy indeed," he sang again as he hit one last key. A low, menacing growl-like noise started to emit from one of the darkest corners of the room and the young man's eyes glowed with anticipation as he gazed in the direction the noise came from.

"Patience, patience, your pray will soon be all yours to play with," the young man sang again before erupting into laughter once more. If there was one thing he enjoyed, it was the thrill of a good hunt… and the following kill.

"Finally… Finally I shall kill!"

The maniacal laughter that could only come from the throat of a mentally deranged person filled the room once more and was the only thing to be heard for a very long time.

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**Well, that's it for this chapter. I know, short, but making it any longer felt kinda wrong… like I was prolonging it unnecessarily. So I cut it there.**

**But the last part… creepy much? Good, that's what I was aiming for.**

**And overall? What did you think? Please review and tell me and I promise I'll update sooner than I would if you don't review. Feedback is my fuel :]**

**See ya next chapter!**


	16. Found Out

**Well, here we are, chapter 16. I hope it is to your liking and worth the wait.**

**And holy shit… over 230 reviews? I'm breaking my own personal record here. Thanks so much, guys! Please, keep those coming! Let's see if by the end of it all I can reach 300 or 400… **

**ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:**

_**fanficssuck: **_**Last time I checked, you disabled the possibility of receiving PMs, so I had to answer your review this way. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the story. I hope you won't need to re-read it AGAIN, in order to enjoy this chapter, like you did with the last one. Happy reading :3**

**WARNING: UNBETA-ED AND UNCHECKED! Please forgive any errors you might see, I'll give it to my beta as soon as she's done with the other chapters.**

**Happy reading everyone. I hope this story still lives up to your expectations.**

_**Standard disclaimer and reader's key required**_

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_Chapter 16 – Found out_

Tatsuki sighed as she glanced at her auburn haired friend from the corner of her eye. Orihime was eerily silent for quite a while, and Tatsuki was starting to wonder if she had said something stupid. Then again, when it came to talking to Inoue Orihime, no story was ever overly farfetched.

As for Orihime, she was stunned speechless. She had expected a lot from her friend when she said she needed to talk to her alone. But not this. Never in a million years would Orihime expect the other girl to tell a story remotely close to the one she just did.

"Sounds crazy, doesn't it?" Tatsuki finally asked after the silence stretched out for too long for her liking. Orihime shook her head, both to answer her friend's question and to clear her own head.

"No, Tatsuki-chan, it doesn't sound crazy at all. In fact, it's nothing short of the truth," the auburn haired girl said. She had been debating with herself for e few minutes there whether to tell Tatsuki the truth… but it wouldn't be anything bad if she knew, right? After all, according to the black haired teen, she had only seen a Shinigami, not talked to one, so even if it was Renji – and it sure sounded like it from the description Tatsuki gave her – it wasn't like the information would ever reach him.

"What do you mean, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, turning her head towards Orihime suddenly and staring at her with wide eyes. The Healer smiled and let herself fall on the grass. The two of them were sitting by the riverbank, where they mostly came when they wanted to talk undisturbed. The other place they often used for such talks was Orihime's apartment, but with such a nice weather, the two friends decided the riverbank to be more appropriate.

Tatsuki slowly lay down next to her a little airheaded friend, her eyes never leaving her face as she waited for an answer. After another minute of silence, Orihime finally spoke up.

"You said that when you saw that ghost, you felt like it wasn't the first time you saw someone like that, right? You felt like you were even supposed to know someone who was like that boy, am I right, Tatsuki-chan?" she asked. Tatsuki nodded mutely, so Orihime continued on her explanation. "That's because you actually _did_ know someone like that… you still do," she said softly. Her words made Tatsuki sit up abruptly as she stared at her friend as if seeing her for the first time.

"What in the world are you talking about, Orihime?"

"Does the name Kurosaki Ichigo ring any bells?"

XxX

No sound surrounded the three warriors as they soundlessly made their way through the desert of Hueco Mundo. Neliel was leading them, being the one who knew the deserts layout, as impossible as it may sound, best.

True, with Las Noches destroyed the way it was, Grimmjow lived in this desert since the end of the war as well, and he also lived there before he even turned into an Arrancar. However, back then, he hardly cared about knowing exactly where he was, so he didn't bother to remember where, for example, an entrance to the Menos Forest might be. It wasn't like he would ever bother going down there anyway.

Nel, on the other hand, lived through most of the war in the desert, since she was turned into a child-like form by Nnoitora's and Shaizel's tricks. During that time, whenever she and her friends needed to rest, they would hide in a cave, since most strong Hollows didn't bother to crawl under rocks to find their pray. It was in one of such caves that the trio had accidentally found a safe passage to the underground world of Hueco Mundo, the Menos Forest. It was that cave Neliel was leading them all to now, as well.

"Would you mind telling me why you are following us, Grimmjow?" Ichigo finally asked, breaking the silence between them. He hadn't asked the Arrancar to follow, nor did he expect him to, so he was quite surprised when the blue haired panther Hollow followed them of his own accord, surprisingly not trying to attack him from behind. Grimmjow snorted.

"'Cause I know your luck. Wherever you go, there's fighting. And where there's fighting, there's a way to get stronger, along with a way to get killed," Grimmjow replied, glaring at Ichigo's back. "I'll use the battles you're bound to draw to yourself to get stronger and make sure you don't get killed while I'm at it. I'll be damned if I let anyone else take the pleasure of cutting your head away from your body, Kurosaki. The one to kill you will be me!"

Ichigo snorted at those words. '_Yeah, right, as if I'd let myself be killed by the likes of you,_' the orange haired teen thought. It wasn't so much that he didn't think Grimmjow was strong, far from it. It was just that he couldn't allow himself to be killed again. Not by Grimmjow and not by anyone else either.

Still, even if Grimmjow's reason for tagging along was only to get stronger and to ensure no one would get to kill his pray, it was reassuring in a way, for it meant the blue haired Arrancar was… kind of… their ally. That meant there was one more fighter on their side. And in this fight, one warrior could mean everything, of that Ichigo was sure.

"In that case, you'll be tagging along for a long while," Ichigo replied without looking back at his kind-of-ally. "Then again, it means you'll have a lot of time to get stronger, too. I'm looking forward to our next battle once this is over," the Shinigami-Hollow-Hybrid smirked. Grimmjow scoffed.

"Never thought you'd be looking forward to dying, Kurosaki."

"I never said I was going to let you kill me."

"Confident, aren't you?"

"Considering I've beaten or at least managed to wound you more than you did me in almost all of our battles, I think I have a reason to be. Unlike a certain person behind me."

"Don't tempt the devil, Kurosaki, or it might come and get you right now," Grimmjow scowled; getting angrier by the second. Ichigo, however, was not impressed.

"I'd like to see that. Need I remind you that not even twenty minutes ago I made you eat dirt without even trying?"

Nel sighed and sped up slightly. She had thought before that Ichigo had changed. She had thought he was like an experienced warrior, almost like a general even. Looking at him now, though…

The former Tercera Espada glanced over her shoulder and couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her when she saw the childish behavior of her two male companions, especially Ichigo.

Yes, looking at him now, there was no denying that he was still a kid. Still just a teenager.

And yet an experienced warrior and a great leader as well.

Suddenly, Nel stopped, making the other two following her almost run into her back, since neither were looking forward.

"What is it, Nel?" Ichigo asked when he stood next to her, having barely avoided colliding with her. Nel pointed forwards and Ichigo turned his head. A little ways away, in front of them, was a creepy looking cave. If given a choice, the orange haired teen would have never set foot in it, for the air around it just screamed danger. Nel's following words, however, made any choice impossible.

"We're here," she said, pointing at the cave. "That's the entrance to the Menos Forest."

Hearing her words, Ichigo nodded and closed his eyes in concentration. When he opened them again, the carefree light that shone in them seconds ago was gone. He was no longer Kurosaki Ichigo, the Substitute Shinigami and a teenager. He was Ichigo, the Hybrid and the one to have defeated Aizen. He was a warrior.

"Alright, let's go," he said in a calm, yet somewhat commanding voice. Nel nodded and followed them wordlessly. Grimmjow hesitated for a moment, then followed behind them while muttering under his breath:

"Don't think I'll be taking orders from you, Kurosaki."

And so, the three of them left the desert of Hueco Mundo and descended slowly to the underground, where the Menos Forest was.

XxX

Gienzo was calmly walking down the corridor in the fortress-like building that was their hide-out, when suddenly someone pounced on him from behind. He was taken by surprise, but he quickly shook it off and grabbed the arms that started to encircle his throat almost strong enough to start choking him. He then leaned forward and pulled on the arms of his attacker, before quickly turning and using the momentum of the sudden movement to throw the mysterious person off his back.

It turned out to be a girl. She flipped in mid air after she was unceremoniously thrown, and landed lightly and effortlessly on the ground about five feet away from the one she attacked.

"You're getting old, Gienzo. I caught you off guard," she said mockingly, her eyes glaring daggers at him. She had blond hair, tied in two pig tails, one of each side of her head. Her eyes were a mixture of brown and gold while her sclera were light grey, almost as if the natural white was fighting for dominance with the typical black of a Hollow. Her white uniform resembled a jogging suit, the jacket of which she wore open, revealing a white shirt underneath and her feet were covered by white sandals. A row of tattoos in the form of diamonds decorated her forehead and above them, a horn was sprouting from her forehead, though it was broken in the middle – the only visible part of her Hollow mask.

A thin, brown belt, decorated by several, blood red stones, held her sword attached to her back, with the hilt sticking out above her right shoulder.

"You're really getting old," she said again, standing up from the crouched position she landed in and took a few steps towards him. "It's hard to believe you actually fought the VIZARD and survived. You really sure it was him?"

"I have no reason to believe otherwise. He was certainly stronger than any Shinigami I ever met," Gienzo believed coolly, sending her a glare of his own. It was no mystery that the two of them hated each other's guts, though so long as they didn't try to cut each other in half, no one minded their bickering and small fights.

"Then again, you hardly ever met any Shinigami, did you?" the blond haired girl replied, making Gienzo narrow his eyes.

"Maybe not face to face, but I have seen them fight. I know that Kurosaki Ichigo is much stronger than them."

"Stronger even than the captains?" the girl asked mockingly.

"He has two swords and is able to summon some kind of spirit living inside him, possibly his Zanpakutō-spirit, into the real world. Does that answer your question for you?" Gienzo asked right back. When the blond girl didn't answer, he smirked to himself. "Besides, the master wasn't pleased to hear that boy was alive. He seemed to have thought him dead. And he also seems to think of him as a real threat if he decided to take care of him first before attacking Kuchiki Rukia."

"I even heard the master ordered Keikaro to kill him on sight," the blond girl suddenly interrupted. "To even ask that maniac to keep an eye out… the master must really think highly of that Kurosaki boy," she said and looked up at the ceiling with a sadistic grin on her face.

"If even Keikaro is involved, than this isn't a search anymore," Gienzo said with a frown. "It's an all out hunt."

"And the one to find him first gets to kill him," the blond girl stated the obvious before smirking. "It's quite obvious who'll find him first, though. It shouldn't be long either," she added, looking at Gienzo over her shoulder. "And when he's found, then we'll see if the brat you fought truly is _the_ Vizard… but can you imagine the humiliation if he's just a Shinigami like any other?" she asked as she walked away, laughing at her own joke merrily. Gienzo scowled at her retreating form. '_You'll be disappointed, Rihyo,_' the Aniquildor thought as he turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction the blond girl disappeared to. '_He __is__ the VIZARD, of that there's no doubt. And __the__ Vizard won't be killed that easily, not even by Keikaro's pet._'

XxX

Renji was leaning calmly against a tree in the Karakura park where he had more or less agreed to meet Tatsuki. Well, not outright agreed, but he knew (thanks to pure luck, actually) that she often jogged through the park as another form of work-out.

So far, he had tried various ways to find out what Urahara and the others might possibly be hiding, but much like with Rukia, they stubbornly refused to talk about anything remotely close to the subject. This in turn meant that pretty much like Rukia, Renji was walking in circles right now, and if he didn't figure something out soon, he would never hear the end from it from his black haired friend. The red haired fukutaichō sighed. One might wonder why he bothered to wait for Tatsuki here at all when he had much more important matters to attend to, but truth be told, since the day he first met her, he had been drawn to her in a way. There was just something about her that didn't allow him to stay away. And surprisingly, she didn't seem to mind his presence at all, though she told him more than once that usually, ghosts annoyed her to no end. He had to admit, he was happy to be an exception.

He couldn't help the smile that blossomed on his face when he saw her jogging in his general direction. It hadn't really been that long since he first met her. Couldn't be longer than a week and yet, they became good friends already.

"Yo!" he called to her when she was within hearing distance, raising a hand in greeting. Upon hearing his voice, Tatsuki stopped and looked around, but when she noticed him, a smirk appeared on her face and she came towards him.

"Hey yourself, Abarai," she said as she leaned against the tree he had been standing under. They might be somewhat-friends, but they still called each other by their family names. It would probably forever stay that way, too.

"You look like you're not in too good of a mood today. Why's that?" Renji asked as he stood next to her. Tatsuki shrugged.

"I just have a lot on my mind is all," she replied evasively. Renji raised an eyebrow.

"Care to share what's bugging you with a bored ghost?" he asked, though the way described himself was a total lie. He was far from bored. In fact, he hardly should be wasting time here with her when he had so many other things to do.

But for some reason, he just couldn't resist.

And as he was about to find out, it was a good thing he decided to meet her today, too.

"I talked with a friend of mine today… One who can also see ghosts," Tatsuki said and Renji raised an eyebrow. Misinterpreting the reason for his puzzlement, the black haired girl explained, "Inoue Orihime. I already told you about her, remember?"

"Yeah…" Renji replied hesitantly. Of course, he knew Orihime and he also know Tatsuki was friends with her. She didn't know he knew Orhime personally, though… at least she shouldn't. Sighing mentally, Renji hoped Orihie hadn't accidentally let slip out that she knew him.

As it turned out, however, he didn't have to worry.

"We talked and… well…" Tatsuki stopped and glanced at the ground, looking for the right words to explain what has been bugging her. Finally, she took a deep breath and blurted out: "Do you know a guy by the name of Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Upon hearing that particular name, Renji almost fell over. He caught himself in the last moment however, though his eyes still were wide as saucers when he gazed at her. Her eyes were still directed at the ground.

"Yeah… I do…" Renji finally stuttered out, but before he could ask her a question that was begging to be asked right now, she kept questioning him.

"How were you related?"

"He was a friend of mine, but why do you…"

"And did I know him?"

"…What?" the redhead asked after several minutes of silence. From all the questions Tatsuki could have asked, he did not expect this one.

"Did I know him?" Tatsuki repeated calmly, finally looking up at her red haired companion. "Orihime says he's a friend of ours. His name fits with the name of the Kurosaki family who lead a nearby clinic, so it would all add up. But how can I know him if he's a ghost?"

"He wasn't completely one of us," Renji said with a sigh. Why he bothered explaining it to her, he didn't know, especially since normally, she shouldn't remember anything at all. If he said anything, he would only help her regain the memories Soul Society wanted everyone with any connection to Ichigo to lose.

Then again… it wasn't fair to them or to Ichigo to make everyone forget him. They had a right to remember, everyone of them, and Tatsuki was no different! Why should only the Soul Reapers remember the orange haired Shinigami, while the friends he had in the mortal world forgot everything about him, when he was rightfully still one of the living?

"He was a so called Substitute Shinigami. He had the same powers I do, the same duties… but unlike me, he was still alive," Renji finally said, looking Tatsuki straight in the eyes. "That's all I can tell you for now. Know only that someone made you forget for his own convenience, so don't blame yourself for not remembering. You'll remember eventually."

Tatsuki sighed and leaned back again, looking up at the sky as the crown of her head rested against the trunk of the tree. She was smiling again.

"Well then, I hope I'll remember by the time he comes back," she said, almost like an afterthought and this time, Renji actually _did_ fall over. Tatsuki blinked. "You alright?" she asked as she glanced down at him.

"What do you mean 'by the time he comes back'?" Renji asked as he picked himself off the ground, ignoring her question completely. Tatsuki stared at him for a while before answering.

"Orihime said he went somewhere far away, but she also said he'd be back when he finished his business wherever it is he's at right now," she replied off-handedly. "She promised to bring me to him, too, hoping it would jog my memory."

Renji's eyes widened as he leaned his back against the tree again, unable to look up from the ground. '_There's… There's no way!_' he thought. He shook his head. It just couldn't be true.

Not knowing what impact her words had on her companion, Tatsuki continued talking.

"She said it might take a while before he actually comes back, though she's sure he will come back at some point. She mentioned something about him having to find something put before he can come back from that… little escapade, as she called it. I wonder where he went…" she was mostly talking to herself right now, taking no note of the Vice Captain next to her, who was staring wide eyed at the ground, with disbelief written clearly across his face.

'_From what she says… from what Orihime told her… it sounds like Ichigo… is alive!_' Renji screamed in his thoughts before shaking his head. '_But… how can that possibly be? It can't be true… can it?_' the red haired Shinigami asked himself as images flashed in his mind.

_Ichigo, pierced through by Gin's blade, protecting him from that same blade as he delivered the final blow to the owner of the weapon. _

_Blood pooling around his feet as he slowly sank to his knees, then fell forward with one last word escaping his lips: 'Rukia…'_

_Zangetsu, falling uselessly out of his master's hands and clattering to the ground as it turned into a regular katana, not even in its Shikai form, but just a regular, small katana._

_Ichigo, surrounded by black flames of his own reiatsu as his Bankai dissolved._

_The dead brown eyes, staring ahead, without seeing anything in front of them._

_Ichigo's body, dissolving in a soft, white mist, disappearing from view, never to be seen again…_

Renji shook his head again, desperately trying to forget these images. He had seen it with his own eyes. He had seen him die. He had been the one to deliver the news to everyone else. And yet…

Ichigo was alive this whole time?

It was so hard to believe… No, it seemed downright impossible, but… Orihime had been the one to tell Tatsuki he'd come back from a 'little escapade' to 'find something out'. She wouldn't lie to a friend who didn't remember Ichigo in the first place, would she? And if she didn't lie, then Ichigo _had_ to be alive, otherwise he couldn't come back from wherever it was he had run off to.

Sliding to the ground in shock, Renji slowly allowed the idea to settle in his mind.

'_Ichigo… might just be alive…_'

XxX

"Never thought I'd see this landscape again," Ichigo muttered to himself as they finally arrived in the underground world of Hueco Mundo, the Menos Forest. It looked actually like any other forest in the World of the Living. The only real difference was that the trees reached high above, reaching the ceiling high above and piercing through it, thus emerging on the desert above.

"It's been a long while since I was down here," Nel admitted as she looked around as well. The forest seemed deserted, but all three of them knew better than to let their guard down. It was a good thing too, for before they even took three steps into the forest, the ground started shaking violently, almost making them fall to their knees just due to the sheer severity of the earthquake. Surprisingly, however, the source of the quake didn't come from below them, but from above.

"What the Hell…" Grimmjow muttered angrily under his breath as he fought to keep his balance. His unfinished question was answered however when suddenly the shaking stopped and a gigantic creature came tumbling down from above.

It crashed into the stony ground not five feet away from them, the resulting wind and shaking of the ground throwing Nel off her feet and making her fall on her butt, while Grimmjow and Ichigo unceremoniously fell to their knees. Ichigo shielded his eyes from the cloud of debris that rose as the mysterious being fell down and his eyes widened when the dust cleared and he saw just what is was that almost crushed them.

It was a monster, the likes of which he had never seen before. At first glance, it looked like a gigantic snake, about twice as big as an average adult, and about a kilometer long, if not longer. It was difficult to judge the exact length, since the python had rolled itself in a loose knot, though it did not hinder its movement at all.

Closer inspection, however, revealed that it was not quite a snake. As it slowly rose and revealed its head to them, they noticed that the snake was actually shorter than they first thought. Ichigo's jaw almost dropped, though, when he saw the python's only appeared so long, because it was shielding another part of its body from view. The snake itself was actually nothing else but the tail of the beast that had come down to greet them. The main body was that of an overgrown tiger, no smaller than a three-storey-house. However, it had two heads instead of one. One of them was the head of a tiger as well, the second had the long neck and the beautiful head of a swan… only that its beak was definitely much longer and much more dangerous. On the beast's back, there was a pair of great, black wings of a bat.

The tail of the beast, the snake, had small, blood-red eyes and long fangs that didn't even fit in its mouth. A weird, blue substance was dripping from them, and neither of the three wanted to find out what it was. The tiger's head was oval, yellow-golden eyes and was snarling viciously at them, revealing its sharp teeth. Its ears were plastered to its head, but Ichigo had no doubt it could still hear perfectly fine. The swan's eyes were pitch black and seemed to have a soft look in them, a stark contrast to the other two, but the beak more than made up for the lack of a scaring glare. As the swan raised its head towards the ceiling the beast came falling down from and released a mind piercing shriek, Ichigo noticed the small, but definitely sharp teeth. He seriously doubted they were there so that the bird-head could catch the fish it ate, though. And then, there were also the sharp claws that adorned all four of the monster's paws to look out for as well.

"What the Hell is that thing?" Neliel finally managed to choke out as she shakily stood up and drew her sword, just as Ichigo and Grimmjow did.

"I don't care what it is," Ichigo replied in a calm voice, though his eyes betrayed him; he was anything but calm. "All I care about is how to defeat it. Because I don't know about you, but I don't think it's just going to let us pass."

"I'm afraid you might be right," Nel replied warily as she took a fighting stance along with her two companions. Right now, it didn't really matter what the thing in front of them was. What mattered was to stay alive.

XxX

Sitting in his dark room, Keikaro laughed maniacally as he watched the expressions on the faces of his enemies as the beast appeared before them.

"Good job, my baby. Good hunt," he laughed to himself as he corrected the glasses on his nose and leaned back in his chair, intent on enjoying the show offered to him.

"Now, my baby... kill them, kill them all!" he screamed before he started to laugh again as he watched his 'pet' respond to the order only it was able to hear and pounced on the two Hollows and the orange-haired Shinigami-look-alike. And as the battle on the screen began, only maniacal laughter could be heard in the room, except for the few sounds of explosions coming from the screen showing the battle.

"That's it, my baby! That's it! Kill them all! Show no mercy and play to your heart's content, just KILL THEM ALL!"

* * *

**So, that's it. I hope you like it. Please leave a review, telling me what you think XD**

**Oh, and by the way… anyone have an idea who Rihyo is, exactly? Come on… can't be too hard, can it?**


	17. The Perfect Strategy

**Is this a dream come true? For some of you, maybe XD Yes, yes that's right, I updated. Sorry it took so long, but you know all about it, ne.**

**My college year isn't over, so don't go thinking I'll be updating frequently now, though, sorry. But anyway, pleas enjoy and please update. Hope it was worth the wait.**

**WARNING: UN-BETA-ED and UN-CHECKED, because I wanted to give you guys a Christmas present XD And I'm right on time, too :3 Please forgive the errors, though.**

_**Standard disclaimer and readers key required**_

* * *

_Chapter 17 – The perfect strategy_

"Shiten Kōshun!" A pyramidal shield, the finally perfected form of Orihime's 'Santen Kesshun, okurikaesu', formed in front of the orange haired girl in an instant, effortlessly blocking the attack of the weak, frog-like Hollow before. No sooner had the attack collided, an explosion sent the amphibian back a few feet. It hadn't been enough to truly hurt it, but that only went to show how weak her opponent was, since the force to the explosion would always be the exact equivalent of the damage absorbed by the shield. Orihime didn't pay much attention to the Hollow now, deciding instead to turn towards the person she had arrived just in time to protect. She didn't allow her barrier to fall though.

"Tatsuki-chan, are you alright?" the auburn haired asked as she knelt down next to the other girl. She was unconscious, but it didn't seem like it was because of an injury. It was almost as if she had been unconscious even before the Hollow arrived. If that was true, however, than what was it that caused her to faint like this?

"Man, I almost feel like a rookie on his first mission again," she heard a familiar voice sigh behind her and she looked over her shoulder before allowing her barrier to dissipate and her Shun Shun Rikka to return to her hair pins.

"What do you mean, Abarai-kun?" she asked, not moving from her spot before turning back to examine her friend once again, frowning when she couldn't find anything that could explain the black haired girl's condition.

"I mean that compared to the enemies I got used to fight thanks to the war, these small fry, regular Hollows are just too easy to beat. I almost wish there was a stronger opponent nearby," he answered as he sheathed his sword and turned around to glance at the orange haired girl. "Don't worry about her, by the way. She should wake up soon enough… and she'll most likely bombard you with questions once she does."

Orihime blinked and once again turned to face the red haired Soul Reaper. There was something he was hinting at without quite telling her, that much she knew, but she was unable to tell what it was he was 'hiding'. She frowned.

"I'm afraid you'll need to explain yourself a little more, Abarai-kun," she requested politely and Renji couldn't help but smile slightly at that. She was playing right into his hand and she didn't even know it. Of course, he'd be in a world of trouble once Soul Society, or more like Captain Kuchiki, found out he took action without orders, but then again, the information he could get from it was worth it.

"How about we'll do an exchange then," he offered slyly. "I'll answer your questions, but in turn, I get to ask you some questions as well… and get a truthful answer for them."

His gaze was serious as he stared into her grey orbs, but Orihime, being the trustful girl that she was, didn't sense where this was going at all. So she smiled and nodded her head.

"That's just fair, though I don't see why you felt the need to even request it, Abarai-kun. We're friends after all," she said and Renji had to suppress a sigh at this. '_Because you would never answer these questions otherwise,_' he thought, but remained silent.

It wasn't what he'd been planning at first. His plan was to just do what he thought was right, even if Soul Society would chew him out for it, and turn back a mistake the higher-ups never should have made, if only by one person. It was just luck that just after Tatsuki fainted, he caught Orihime's reiatsu nearby, along with a weak Hollow. From then, things had kind of happened on their own, although the plan he ended up with seemed to be the best course of action. Now he only had to pretend that this was what he wanted all along, should Soul Society ever find out about it.

Considering it was just one person, there was still a possibility they would not.

"Well then, what do you mean when you say that there's nothing wrong with Tatsuki-chan? I mean, there has to be something wrong if she's unconscious," Orihime's words brought him out of his musings. To answer her question, he reached into his shihakusho and took out a device that looked suspiciously like a lighter out of it.

"Falling unconscious is normal after a memory-replacement, or its reversal. I just did her a favor and returned the memories she should never have lost in the first place," he said, still in the same, serious manner. Orihime's eyes widened and her smile widened if that was even possible. He needn't explain further. She understood his meaning.

"So… Tatsuki-chan will remember Kurosaki-kun now, won't she," unfortunately for Renji, this wasn't a question, but a statement of the obvious. A reassurance. He nodded, knowing full well the young healer didn't really need an answer.

"Now you have to answer one of my questions," he reminded her as Inoue slowly started to drift off into her day dreams, imagining what it would be like to finally be able to talk with her old friend without the barriers of Tatsuki's induced memory loss. She blinked, coming back to the real world, her smile never leaving her face as she nodded at him, encouraging him to ask what he wanted to know. Renji sighed.

Ever since Rukia and him came to Karakura, they had the suspicion that all of Ichigo's friends were hiding something from them. And not only them, but Urahara and the Kurosaki family, too, or at least Kurosaki Isshin. Now he could finally find out what it was they were hiding. All he had to do was ask and Orihime would be bound by her promise to answer truthfully, which knowing her gave an almost hundred-percent assurance she would. All Renji needed to do was just ask…

"Is Ichigo alive?"

The question had slipped out of his mouth before he even thought about it. Once he realized it did, though, Renji had the urge to slap his forehead in a show of his own stupidity. A small doubt, so tiny that he thought he could easily overlook it… and yet it was enough for him to want a reassurance from the one who indirectly planted that seed of doubt in his mind, instead of solving much more important mysteries.

The only reason he didn't give in to that urge was Inoue's reaction: her grey eyes went wide, the smile vanished as if it was never there in the first place and she visibly paled. However, just by looking at her, Renji could tell that it wasn't the face of someone shocked by a question and thinking the one who asked was out of his mind. No, this was the face of a child caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

Brown eyes widened as he stared at her, now waiting impatiently for her answer. Hope kept rising within him and soon he couldn't take it anymore. When she still didn't respond, he grabbed her by the shoulders, gently yet firmly, and held her at arm's length, staring directly into her eyes.

"Tell me, Inoue," he said, his voice much more rough than he intended it to be. The auburn haired girl didn't flinch, though, nor did she tremble, look away or try to get away from him. She just stood there, her grey orbs staring right back into his. "Tell me."

As for Orihime herself, she was torn and didn't know what to do. That was a question she was not expecting. Any other, she might have somehow gotten out of, twirling around the truth without actually saying it, but not lying either. But this? A simple yes or no question. There was no way she could weasel herself out of this one. And she promised she'd tell the truth, so she couldn't lie.

On the other hand, she had promised Kurosaki-kun that she wouldn't tell anyone about it…

'_Well… Actually I promised not to tell Rukia-san… But if I tell Abarai-kun, then there's no way Rukia-san won't find out…_' Orihime bit her lip as she finally looked away from the red haired fukutaichō's piercing gaze. She didn't know what to do… but then again, there wasn't really much she _could_ do.

Renji's hold on her shoulders slackened when she looked away and his eyes fell to the ground. He sighed as his hands fell away from her and he backed away. Slowly, he turned to leave. '_I should have known… what a stupid fool I am…_'

"Yes…"

It was a whispered word, one he was barely able to catch, and yet one that cut through the silence so loudly it was impossible to not hear it. The Vice Captain whirled around and stared at the young healer in front of him. Her gaze locked with his once more and she nodded.

"Yes, he is," she repeated in a whisper again, as if she were unable to utter the words any louder. They still hit the redhead strongly, and before he knew it, he had fallen to his knees in shock. He wasn't looking at her anymore. He was staring at the ground instead.

"How… how can that be? I… I saw him… with my own eyes…" Renji stuttered, losing his composure in this way for the first time in a very, very long while.

"I don't know," Orihime admitted as she knelt in front of him. She understood how he felt. When she had found out, she had been close to reacting the same way once the first shock wore off. She bit her lip. Now for the hard part. "But Abarai-kun, even if Kurosaki-kun is alive… Rukia-san can't know about it."

_That_ had definitely brought him out of his stupor. In favor of being furious.

"Like Hell I won't tell her. She has the same right to know as you and I," his own words made him pause as he frowned at the girl before him. "Now that I think about it, why hadn't any of you told us sooner that the idiot was alive?"

Orihime started to twirl a lock of her hair around her finger nervously as she tried to think of a way to make Renji understand without revealing too much.

"He… He didn't want you to know. He doesn't want Rukia-san, to know," she finally uttered, but was quick to notice that this was the wrong choice of words.

"Fucking idiot," Renji cursed under his breath, but loudly enough for the young healer to pick it up. "When I'm gonna find him, I'm gonna tell him _exactly_ what I think of his hiding… before I let Rukia chew him out, too."

"No!" Orihime actually yelled. Now she was the one to grab the redhead by the shoulders in a desparate attempt to make him listen to her. But when he looked at her, it weren't his brown eyes that she saw, but the liquid amber, shining with an emotion she understood all too well as Ichigo told them Rukia couldn't know about him being alive. She saw the determined, amber-gold as he last glanced at them before ripping open a Garganta and leaving with Nel… all to protect Rukia, both from a threat he did not know, and from himself.

"Rukia-san can't know," Inoue pleaded, hoping her words would get through to the Shinigami before her. "Kurosaki-kun… he's changed. He… he isn't the same anymore," she said quietly, looking away once again from those deep brown eyes, so like Kurosaki-kun's and yet so different. "He's not the same."

She was lying through her teeth. Sure, Ichigo _had_ changed as far as physical appearance was concerned. He had changed in terms of strength and even partially in terms of how he reacted to certain things… but deep down, he was still the same Kurosaki-kun, of that Orihime was certain. And yet, there was also one truth she could not deny.

"_I'm not human, nor Shinigami anymore. I'm mostly a Hollow. My place is in Hueco Mundo and that's a plane where Rukia can't follow… so it's better if she thinks I no longer exist at all._"

"Please, Abarai-kun… don't hurt Rukia-san unnecessarily if you can avoid it. She can't know. If she does, she'll go look for him. If she goes looking, she'll find him. And once she finds him, she'll see how he's changed… and it'll only hurt her more."

Renji looked down at the human before him, wondering about her words, but did not answer.

XxX

Ichigo ran swiftly through the Menos Forest, trying to be as stealthy as possible and as quick as possible at the same time. He was alone.

When he first saw that chimera-like thing, he had expected it to be strong, as did Nel and Grimmjow, so they had not let their guard down. They've been prepared for a strong opponent. What they hadn't been prepared for was one opponent suddenly becoming four.

'_That had caught me off guard… it would have never crossed my mind this thing could dissociate itself into four separate animal-like Hollows… and they were still incredibly strong,_' Ichigo frowned at his own thoughts. That thing had not been a regular Hollow, nor a Tough Mask; it had been on an entirely different level.

"_**You didn't quite use your full strength on them, though, Ichigo,"**_ a familiar voice rang in his head. It wasn't an accusation, however merely a statement or an observation. _**"You were holding back."**_

'_Yeah… I was,_' Ichigo admitted to himself. '_But I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have been. Not as much._'

"**A little late in noticing. The blue-haired guy is paying for your indecisiveness now, King. And here I thought you learned something…"**

'_Grimmjow isn't the one I'm worried about and you should know that, Tsuchiro,_' Ichigo interrupted him. That was another thing he had not expected.

When the 'Chimera' first appeared, its aura left no room for argument as to what its intent was. It was there to kill all three of them. It came for that purpose only. But for some reason, during the fight, that changed and instead of killing, the thing set for capturing. It had almost gotten him, too, but for reasons he could not fathom, it ended up letting him go and taking Grimmjow instead.

After it had left, leaving Neliel and him in the dust, they had tried to follow it, but it had been too fast for them to be able to follow. That's when Ichigo decided it was best to split up.

Neliel had been strongly against it and was as adamant in defending the idea they should stay together, as he was in persuading her they should split up. In the end, his reasoning had somehow convinced her.

"We're stronger as a group, true. But we didn't come here to fight, Nel. Had that been the case, I wouldn't be as stupid as to come alone. That's a mistake I only make once in my life," he had told her. "We came here for recon. To find things out, preferably without fighting anyone. If we split up, we'll be harder to track, harder to find. It'll be easier to sneak around… and should we by any chance be caught and forced to fight, it'll be easier to retreat."

Nel had finally agreed to it and they had parted ways, after she had made him promise her that they would regroup in a few days back at the entrance to the forest. And she had told him that if he weren't there, she'd find him and kill him herself, even if she'd need to revive him first.

"_**It is not your other companion, either, is it, Ichigo?"**_ There was nothing he could hide from the old man, that much was clear from the beginning. The Hybrid sighed.

'_No. I'm worried about __her__,_' he admitted, his mind drifting to the black haired Shinigami girl he had more and more trouble getting out of his head lately. It was't just that he missed her, he was worried, too. And he couldn't help a sense of foreboding that seeped deep into his bones. A feeling that told him that something really bad was going to happen, which only added to his worry, because somehow he knew that whatever it was… it involved Rukia.

He shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He was where he was right now because he swore to himself he would protect her. And he would keep that promise no matter what. So long as he was alive, nothing would ever happen to her.

'_I'll protect her with my life if I have to,_' he thought resolutely. His white moon illuminating his way no matter the darkness he traveled through… he would protect its light, no matter the cost.

XxX

"You dare to report a _failure?_" a loud yell could be heard in the darkness, the room it came from as always completely dark save for the light of a few screens. A chair screeched somewhere on the right, darker side of the room as Keikaro turned in his chair.

"I would not call it a failure, my master," he replied calmly, not fazed at all by his master's fury. He had not failed after all, merely accomplished his goal in a different way than expected. The master's silver eyes, the only part of his body visible on one of the screens, narrowed angrily. He was not pleased.

"You did not kill any of them," he seethed. Keikaro couldn't help but let a crazy chuckle escape him, one that even seemed to intrigue the master. Devilish golden eyes stared right back at the screen as Keikaro smirked sadistically.

"No, my master, I already killed the one you wanted dead… he just doesn't know it yet."

"Explain."

Another chuckle filled the room as Keikaro regained his composure slowly, most likely testing his master's patience while was at it, but the glint in his golden eyes was enough to make the master curious enough to wait a few extra seconds. Keikaro wasn't his information gatherer and last resort assassin for nothing. He never failed. The word 'failure' didn't exist in his dictionary. If he let his target live a little longer, it only meant he was enjoying the hunt… although for this one time, there was the question whether the hunt should be allowed or not.

"I am bringing to you one of his… comrades… as we speak. One who has no real ties to our target, and even should enjoy fighting him. Swaying him should be easy enough, my aster, and his training is almost complete," Keikaro started, his grin growing with each second.

"The woman should be nothing to worry about. She is but an Espada. Any of your great soldiers can take her out easily enough. And as for our target himself… he had already dug his grave the moment when he looked my baby in the eyes."

"He almost defeated that 'baby' of yours, Keikaro," the masters voice was deep and the room actually started shaking as if responding to the master's anger, but the brown haired man only pushed his glasses further up his nose and continued as if nothing had happened.

"My baby decided to play, so it went out of its way to make the hunt more interesting. Killing the pray directly is too easy after all, isn't it, my master?" Keikaro taunted slightly, but didn't wait for a response as the silver eyes narrowed once again. "Now I know his weakness. One we can exploit to the point of destroying him completely. It is his friends… and particularly Kuchiki Rukia."

"What?" Keikaro almost laughed again. His master could pretend to be angry all he wanted, but the young man knew the truth. His master enjoyed other's suffering as much as Keikaro himself did, if not more.

"He loves her," the man in glasses finally said. "If we get our hands on her, he'll be powerless to do anything to us… and not only because of our own reason to need her."

Silence filled the room as the master digested the words and mulled them over silently. It wasn't long before he made up his mind, though. Keikaro was right, he had not failed. In fact, he had done a much better job than was expected of him… as always.

"Keep the all-out hunt going. There's no need to alert our pray that our strategy has changed once again. All the Aniquilador are to hunt for the orange haired Shinigami-look-alike and kill him on sight. That includes you, too. But I want you to open the gates as well. Stir things up as much as you can on both planes," he said and with that, after a final bow from Keikaro, the screen died once again. The young man laughed.

"What a fine plan, indeed, my master," he said to himself. "While we hut for him here, he will not notice the unusual activity here or in the Living World, but Soul Society will. They'll send someone and sooner or later it'll be her. And once they do, no matter where it is she's sent, she'll be ours," he muttered between fits of laughter that soon evolved into a complete laughing attack. He could already picture his pray at their feet, unable to do anything as they held his strength in their palms.

Yes, once they had her, he would no longer be a problem and now there wasn't even a way for her to not be captured.

It was the perfect strategy.

* * *

**Here it is, hope you liked it. To be quite honest though, I nolonger know where this is headed myself LOL I'll guess I'll see as we continue on, just like you guys, ne :3**

**IMPORANT NOTE (REPOSTED): I'm in college now and I started my medical studies, so I hardly have time to write anymore. As a result, the updates might get really really slow (as you've seen with this one… I mean it's only been, like, half a year). However, even if I disappear for half-a-year or something, don't you DARE even ASSUME that this story's dead. It never will be, not until it's done. And if you ever have any doubt, just check the bottom of the 'writer's work notes' rubric on my profile, info will be kept up to date there.**

**Thanks for reading and please review, reviews are always welcome :3**


	18. Epilogue What Lies in Wait

**Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Yes, I know, it was a terribly long wait. Hope you can forgive me, but I won't make any excuses. You should all know by now why I update so slowly anyway *sigh***

**Hope you enjoy the chapter, even if it's short. There's a rather important note at the end, so please take the time to read it, too, once you're done with the chapter itself. And without further ado, here it is.**

_**Standard disclaimer and readers key required.**_

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_Epilogue – What Lies in Wait_

Renji stood in front of Urahara's shop with a determined expression on his face. He had thought a longer while about this, and he decided confrontation was the best source of action. He wouldn't allow them to hide anything else from him or the rest of Soul Society. They had all been friends of Ichigo, some more so than others, but they still had all the right to know that the orange haired boy was alive.

Sighing, Renji raised his hand and entered the shop without knocking. Urahara was sitting in his usual spot, but the redhead couldn't shake the feeling that the blond man had been expecting him. He didn't even have the time to open his mouth when Urahara spoke.

"I've heard from Inoue-san that you've been told the truth," he said calmly, yet seriously. Even his normal, goofy grin was not present on his face. "I am right to assume that you came here to find out all the details, aren't I, Abarai-san."

Renji only nodded, as it wasn't even a question, more like a statement. Urahara's stern expression did not change as he raised his head to actually make eye-contact with the Vice Captain.

"Before that, I'll have to make sure you did not and will not inform Soul Society of whatever it is you might hear," the former captain spoke. Renji clenched his fists, but reined his anger. He was the fukutaichō of the fifth squad, and he would behave as such.

"Give me one good reason why I should not," he spoke calmly, or at least as calmly as he could.

"Maybe that Kurosaki-san himself did not wish anyone to know of his current… condition?" Urahara offered, to which Renji narrowed his eyes. The way in which the blond man had hesitated how to describe Ichigo's current 'status' to finally decide on 'condition' didn't please the redhead at all, and not only because he knew that Urahara _never_ hesitated.

"I think Soul Society has the same right to know the truth as you, since we are also his friends and comrades, depending on the person," Renji finally answered. "If Ichigo told you, all of you, meaning also his friends and family, I don't see why we shouldn't know as well."

"He never told us. We found out on our own," a new voice entered the conversation. Renji turned his head and met the black eyes of Ichigo's father – and for some reason, they seemed colder than usual. "As for the 'right' you're talking about, I believe some of Ichigo's friends here had the same right to remember him as you. But Soul Society did not respect that right. So if my son wishes not be known to be alive, why should we tell those who wanted to forget he even died?"

"We never wanted to forget," Renji countered. True, there had been one thing he wanted to forget, but is was not Ichigo's whole existence. He only wanted to forget how he died because he had seen it with his own eyes and it was destroying him to know that there hadn't been anything he could have done.

"You made others forget, though," Ichigo's father countered easily, and to that, Renji had no answer. His shoulders sagged. He knew he could not win this argument, so he yielded.

"Fine, Soul Society won't find out about what I hear here today," Renji said, hoping his eyes didn't betray him. He might say that he wouldn't let Soul Society know, but that didn't mean he couldn't let _some people_ who weren't necessarily captains know. After all, 'Soul Society' usually referred to the captains only. But Urahara and Isshin seemed to accept his answer. He bit back a sigh. '_Just you wait, Ichigo. I'll find out everything they know, then I'll find you. And once I do, then and only then will I decide if withholding information from Rukia is truly a wise choice. If I think it's not, you better be prepared to pay Hell for not telling her yourself!_' the red haired Shinigami swore to himself as he followed Urahara to the back of the shop, where he would finally find all the answers he needed, or at least most of them.

XxX

Ichigo cursed as he once again his behind one of the high trees that the Menos Forest was full of. He had seen a lot of Hollows on his way and had so far managed to avoid fighting any of them, as planned, but the farther he went, the more of them there were.

To make things worse, the nagging feeling that something big was about to happen didn't leave and instead only became stronger. Ichigo narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling that whatever it was that was after Rukia, whatever it was that had sent that incredibly strong Hollow, the Aniquilador, Gienzo, if he remembered right, to Karakura to retrieve her… it did not plan to settle with just capturing one tiny Shinigami, fukutaichō or not. '_The further I go, the more I feel like I'm watching preparations for war,_' Ichigo thought as he stealthily moved past the horde of Hollows he had been observing a while back.

The first time he had seen a group like this, he had thought it odd that they were moving together like that. These weren't Espada after all, just regular Hollows, so normally, they should be at each other's throats. So he had investigated a bit more and quickly found his answer as to why they were behaving the way they were.

First of all, these were not just regular Hollows, these were the Tough Masks, and he had learned by then that they were more intelligent than the most common Hollows. And second of all, the group was never alone, for at least one or two stronger Hollows were there to keep order in the horde. Just by looking at them, Ichigo knew it could either be Espada or Aniquilador.

'_If these are really what I think they are, then Aizen's little stunt will be nothing compared to what the guy preparing all this has in store for Soul Society,_' Ichigo thought, clenching his fists. It really didn't bode well. '_Rukia…_'

How was he going to protect her from this if she was sure to be at the front lines? She was too stubborn to just stand back, he knew that. The only way to protect her would be to stop it at the root before it even began. But Ichigo knew that it was already too late for that. All he could do right now was to prepare for the battles at hand – he was sure there'll be a lot of them.

Grimmjow would have to fend for himself. It was time to retreat, regroup and come up with a good plan of action.

His decision made, Ichigo retreated further into the shadows and stealthily left back the way he came, hoping he would not be noticed. He needed to meet up with Nel and they needed to go back to Karakura to speak with the Vizards and Urahara – Ichigo was not stupid enough to think that he could fight this battle alone, and neither did he think that revealing himself to Soul Society now was a good idea. He'd have to be part of a third party, just like last time, and help Soul Society like he did last time as well – as an outsider.

XxX

Keikaro laughed hysterically as he worked on his computers, his fingers working so fast that one could barely see them as fore than a blur as they sped through the keys of his keyboard, the master-plan he had thought of slowly but surely falling into place. When all was ready and put into action, Soul Society wouldn't even know what hit it, and neither would the orange haired Shinigami-look-alike.

He was so engrossed in his work that he did not notice a screen behind his back come to life as a pair of cold, silver eyes regarded his back. Yet the master stayed silent and only observed one of his subordinates at work, a new glint coming to his silver eyes – that of approval. Whatever Keikaro was planning, it pleased his master and they both knew it.

As the screen died again, Keikaro threw his head back in another fit of maniacal laughter. It was time to set the bait – soon, the gates would be open and the Hollows would flood the living world and Hueco Mundo. Soul Society would have to respond to that, and once they did, they'd be playing directly into his and his master's hands.

They would indeed have no idea what hit them, nor would they have the time to wonder.

XxX

Rukia sighed as she sheathed her sword. She had been training up until now and decided it was time for a break. She was slowly but surely figuring out the new dance Sode no Shirayuki wanted to teach her and she had to say, she was proud of herself. But the long time on stand-by was starting to get on her nerves. If nothing else, she could have been sent back to Karakura, but instead, she had been told to wait until further notice. It annoyed her, but unfortunately, she could do nothing about it.

Sighing again, Rukia looked up towards the sky. There wasn't even a single cloud in sight, but for a few days now, Rukia could not shake the feeling that a storm was approaching. A storm far worse than anything any of them had ever seen, maybe with the exception of the Captain Commander. But while she didn't ignore the feeling, she didn't let it show on her face either.

'_Whatever it is that's coming, I'll face it with my head held high. I'll face it like a Kuchiki, like a fukutaichō should… with you somewhere inside here, by my side, Ichigo,_' she thought, laying a hand on her breast. She wouldn't dwell on the past anymore. She wouldn't let her past mistakes drag her down. She would hold her head high and face the future proudly, like he would have wanted her to.

_The End_

_To be continued…_

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**Let me guess; you're probably thinking something along the lines of 'Epilogue? The End? What the Hell? We're in the middle of the story, aren't we?'**

**Truth be told, when I first started this fic, I expected it to be shorter and I definitely have not planned to end it like this. I wanted to go to its true end on and let you see how things unfolded further along. But somewhere along the way, I strayed from my original idea and the story turned into a much bigger project than I expected it to. I went along at first, figuring out that so long as I had the right ideas and I had the muse, I could continue the story to a new ending. It worked out rather good, until this moment at least.**

**The thing is, it becomes harder and harder for me to write this. I kind of know how to continue it, it's just that the inspiration is no longer there. I think I just need a break from this fic, I need to write something else to get my head back into this later. At the same time, however, I knew that if I just 'took a break' and put this story on Hiatus, I would have eventually dropped it entirely. That's always what happens when I put a story of hiatus. I didn't want it to be left unfinished, though, and not only because I promised you all I would finish it. So I used the last of my inspiration to give you this. I know it seems like a really abrupt ending, one that shouldn't even be here yet, but I thought long and hard about this and came to the conclusion that I should end this story before it just gets too 'dragged out'. However, that does not mean the story is over and done with. I know the overall plot leaves much to be explained. That's why I tried to make this epilogue like a real ending, without any annoying cliffhangers (though I'm afraid at least one weaseled its way in there), while it still the unquestionable info that the real story has yet to begin.**

**So, yes, overall, this is the end of 'He Who Protects'… However, I plan on eventually make a sequel for it, once my inspiration for this particular chain of events returns. In the meantime, maybe I'll indulge myself in another story, to change the pace, who knows.**

**So, if you ever get a message after this epilogue, that this story has yet another chapter to offer, but you will not be able to view the chapter, you can figure that will be my way of saying 'the sequel is up, folks!' XD**

**I want to thank you for your continued support throughout this story, even though I know I was hardly cooperative these last few chapters (what with updating only twice a year or so). I really appreciate all you wonderful reviews and I hope we'll see each other again, in one of my other stories or in the sequel when I get to writing it.**

**Until then, farewell and thanks again for everything :]**

**Sincerely,**

**Glon Morski**


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